fall
verb (used without object)
to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
fall
1 American
[fawl]
/ fɔl /
verb (used without object)
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falls,
present (3rd person singular)
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fell,
past
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fallen,
past participle
-
falling
present participle
-
to drop or descend under the force of gravity, as to a lower place through loss or lack of support.
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to come or drop down suddenly to a lower position, especially to leave a standing or erect position suddenly, whether voluntarily or not.
to fall on one's knees.
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to become less or lower; become of a lower level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.; decline.
The temperature fell ten degrees.
Stock prices fell to a new low for the year.
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to subside or abate.
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extend downward; hang down.
Her hair falls to her shoulders.
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to become lowered or directed downward, as the eyes.
My eyes fell before his steady gaze.
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to become lower in pitch or volume.
Her voice fell, and she looked about in confusion.
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to succumb to temptation or sin, especially to become unchaste or to lose one's innocence.
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to lose status, dignity, position, character, etc.
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to succumb to attack.
The city fell to the enemy.
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to be overthrown, as a government.
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to drop down wounded or dead, especially to be slain.
to fall in battle.
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to pass into some physical, mental, or emotional condition.
to fall asleep; to fall in love.
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to envelop or come as if by dropping, as stillness or night.
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to issue forth.
Witty remarks fall easily from his lips.
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to come by lot or chance.
The chore fell to him.
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to come by chance into a particular position.
to fall among thieves.
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to come to pass, occur, or become at a certain time.
Christmas falls on a Monday this year.
The rent falls due the first of every month.
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to have its proper place.
The accent falls on the last syllable.
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to come by right.
The inheritance fell to the only living relative.
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to be naturally divisible (usually followed byinto ).
The story fell into two distinct parts.
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to lose animation; appear disappointed, as the face.
His face fell when he heard the bad news.
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to slope or extend in a downward direction.
The field falls gently to the river.
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to be directed, as light, sight, etc., on something.
His eyes fell upon the note on the desk.
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to collapse, as through weakness, damage, poor construction, or the like; topple or sink.
The old tower fell under its own weight.
The cake fell when he slammed the oven door.
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(of an animal, especially a lamb) to be born.
Two lambs fell yesterday.
verb (used with object)
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falls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fell,
past
-
fallen,
past participle
-
falling
present participle
noun
-
falls
plural
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an act or instance of falling or dropping from a higher to a lower place or position.
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that which falls or drops.
a heavy fall of rain.
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the season of the year that comes after summer and before winter; autumn.
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a becoming less; a lowering or decline; a sinking to a lower level.
the fall of the Roman Empire.
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the distance through which anything falls.
It is a long fall to the ground from this height.
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Usually falls a cataract or waterfall.
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downward slope or declivity.
the gentle rise and fall of the meadow.
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a falling from an erect position, as to the ground.
to have a bad fall.
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a hanging down.
a fall of long hair.
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a succumbing to temptation; lapse into sin.
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(sometimes lowercase) the Fall, the lapse of human beings into a state of natural or innate sinfulness through the sin of Adam and Eve.
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Slang. an arrest by the police.
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surrender or capture, as of a city.
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proper place.
the fall of an accent on a syllable.
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Wrestling.
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an act or instance of holding or forcing an opponent's shoulders against the mat for a specified length of time.
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a match or division of a match.
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a hairpiece consisting of long hair that is attached to one's own hair at the crown and usually allowed to hang freely down the back of the head so as to cover or blend with the natural hair.
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an opaque veil hanging loose from the back of a hat.
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a decorative cascade of lace, ruffles, or the like.
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Machinery, Nautical. the part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.
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Hunting. a deadfall.
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the long soft hair that hangs over the forehead and eyes of certain terriers.
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Armor. a pivoted peak projecting over the face opening of a burgonet.
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Astrology. the sign of the zodiac in which the most negative influence of a planet is expressed (opposed to exaltation).
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Mining. rock or ore that has collapsed from a roof, hanging wall, or the sides of a passage.
verb phrase
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fall through to come to nothing; fail of realization.
Despite all his efforts, the deal fell through.
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fall off
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to separate from; withdraw.
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to decrease in number, amount, or intensity; diminish.
Tourism falls off when the summer is over.
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Nautical. to deviate from the heading; fall to leeward.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. to lose weight, usually due to illness.
She was sick all winter and fell off till she was just skin and bones.
-
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fall back to give way; recede; retreat.
The relentless shelling forced the enemy to fall back.
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fall for
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to be deceived by.
Imagine falling for such an old trick.
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to fall in love with.
He's not at all the type you would expect her to fall for.
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fall behind
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to lag, in pace or progress.
We are falling behind in our work. Fatigued, some of the marchers fell behind.
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to fail to pay (a debt, obligation, etc.) at the appointed time.
She fell behind in her tax payments, and the property was confiscated.
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fall under
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to be the concern or responsibility of.
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to be classified as; be included within.
That case falls under the heading of errors of judgment.
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fall on / upon
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to assault; attack.
The enemy fell on them suddenly from the rear.
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to be the obligation of.
It has fallen on me to support the family.
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to experience; encounter.
Once well-to-do, they had fallen on hard times.
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to chance upon; come upon.
I fell upon the idea while looking through a magazine.
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fall in
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to fall to pieces toward the interior; sink inward.
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to take one's place in the ranks, as a soldier.
-
Also fall in with to become acquainted with, especially by chance.
We fell in with an interesting couple from Paris.
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fall out
-
to quarrel; disagree.
We fell out over who was to wash the dishes.
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to happen; occur.
It fell out that we met by chance weeks later.
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to leave one's place in the ranks, as a soldier.
They were ordered to fall out when the parade ended.
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Slang. to burst out laughing.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. to become unconscious; pass out.
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fall to
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to apply oneself; begin.
to fall to work.
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to begin to eat.
They fell to and soon finished off the entire turkey.
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fall back on / upon
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Also fall back to to retreat to.
They fell back on their entrenchments. The troops fell back to their original position.
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to have recourse to; rely on.
They had no savings to fall back on.
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fall down to perform disappointingly; to disappoint; fail.
He was doing well on the exam until he fell down on the last essay question.
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fall away
-
to withdraw support or allegiance.
The candidate's supporters fell away when he advocated racial discrimination.
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to become lean or thin; diminish; decline.
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to forsake one's faith, cause, or principles.
Many fell away because they were afraid of reprisals.
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idioms
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fall off the roof, to menstruate.
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fall / come short. short.
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fall foul / afoul of. foul.
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fall over backward(s),
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bend.
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to exhibit great eagerness, especially in pursuit of one's own advantage.
The candidate fell over backward in support of the issues that would win votes.
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fall out of bed, to get out of bed quickly.
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fall / land on one's feet. feet.
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fall all over oneself, to show unusual or excessive enthusiasm or eagerness, especially in the hope of being favored or rewarded: Also fall over oneself
The young trainees fell all over themselves to praise the boss's speech.
Fall
2
American
[fawl]
/ fɔl /
noun
fall
1
British
/ fɔːl /
verb
-
to descend by the force of gravity from a higher to a lower place
-
to drop suddenly from an erect position
-
to collapse to the ground, esp in pieces
-
to become less or lower in number, quality, etc
prices fell in the summer
-
to become lower in pitch
-
to extend downwards
her hair fell to her waist
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to be badly wounded or killed
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to slope in a downward direction
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Christianity to yield to temptation or sin
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to diminish in status, estimation, etc
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to yield to attack
the city fell under the assault
-
to lose power
the government fell after the riots
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to pass into or take on a specified condition
to fall asleep
fall in love
-
to adopt a despondent expression
her face fell
-
to be averted
her gaze fell
-
to come by chance or presumption
suspicion fell on the butler
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to occur; take place
night fell
Easter falls early this year
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(of payments) to be due
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to be directed to a specific point
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to move in a specified direction
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to occur at a specified place
the accent falls on the last syllable
-
(foll by to) to return (to); be inherited (by)
the estate falls to the eldest son
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to be classified or included
the subject falls into two main areas
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to issue forth
a curse fell from her lips
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(of animals, esp lambs) to be born
-
dialect to become pregnant
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dialect (tr) to fell (trees)
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cricket (of a batsman's wicket) to be taken by the bowling side
the sixth wicket fell for 96
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archaic to begin to do
fall a-doing
fall to doing
-
to fail to achieve a desired effect
-
-
to come into conflict with
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nautical to come into collision with
-
-
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to prove inadequate
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(often foll by of) to fail to reach or measure up to (a standard)
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noun
-
an act or instance of falling
-
something that falls
a fall of snow
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autumn
-
the distance that something falls
a hundred-foot fall
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a sudden drop from an upright position
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(often plural)
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a waterfall or cataract
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( capital when part of a name )
Niagara Falls
-
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a downward slope or decline
-
a decrease in value, number, etc
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a decline in status or importance
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a moral lapse or failing
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a capture or overthrow
the fall of the city
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a long false hairpiece; switch
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a piece of loosely hanging material, such as a veil on a hat
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machinery nautical the end of a tackle to which power is applied to hoist it
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nautical one of the lines of a davit for holding, lowering, or raising a boat
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Also called: pinfall. wrestling a scoring move, pinning both shoulders of one's opponent to the floor for a specified period
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hunting
-
another word for deadfall
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( as modifier )
a fall trap
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-
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the birth of an animal
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the animals produced at a single birth
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slang to be blamed, punished, or imprisoned
Fall
2
British
/ fɔːl /
noun
fall
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fallsimple
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fallssimple
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have fallenperfect
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has fallenperfect
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am fallingprogressive
-
are fallingprogressive
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is fallingprogressive
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have been fallingperfect progressive
-
has been fallingperfect progressive
Past
-
fellsimple
-
had fallenperfect
-
was fallingprogressive
-
were fallingprogressive
-
had been fallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fall
First recorded before 900; Middle English fallen, Old English feallan; cognate with German fallen, Old Norse falla; akin to Lithuanian pùlti “to fall”
Explanation
Looking at the multitude of meanings for the word fall, one thing comes clear: the word is most often associated with a drop or descent of some kind, whether that be a physical fall from a high place or a metaphorical fall from power or grace. In the 16th Century, autumn was known as "the fall of the leaf," which later became just fall, but the actual word is much older than that, traceable to the Old English feallan. Many meanings, including a fall in temperature, to fall in love or to fall asleep, all stem from the Middle Ages. If you're the "fall guy," you're going to get blamed, or "take the fall." If you fall in love and then fall out of favor with your beloved, your next action might fall under the category of "gift giving" or just "kissing up."
Vocabulary lists containing fall
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The term refers to students who commit to an institution in the spring, then don’t show up in the fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The automaker faced a lengthy series of setbacks including a number of high-profile recalls, including most recently in April for all 173 of its rear-wheel-drive Cybertrucks over fears that the wheels could fall off.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
This fall, a wave of protests first initiated by high-school students demanding improved facilities led to a nationwide breakdown in law and order on Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Shares fall 0.1% and are little changed over the past year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The sun rose as we skirted the little lake; the gold of the late fall fields lifted our hearts.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, directed by Robert Hastie, will run at the National Theatre in London from 2 December to 23 January, before heading to locations including Newcastle, Sheffield and Salford.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Joshua Specht’s “Property Values: The Rise and Fall of the American Homeowner” argues that “the American story is the story of land.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
In 1974, he played Lenin in the BBC's 13-part drama series The Fall of Eagles.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
A Fall Classic of little guys won’t prevent baseball’s impending labor meltdown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“So,” Gregor said, “is the Fall Ball a big deal around here?”
From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence
Wedbush’s Bryson noted, too, that if demand falls off for Micron’s memory chips, the company will have a problem not only shipping as many chips as expected, but also pricing them so high.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
This guidance applies particularly to people at moderate cardiovascular risk or those whose estimated risk falls near the threshold at which preventive medication would normally be recommended.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
The festival falls on the darkest night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik, when the moon is not visible in the sky.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Similar steep falls can be seen across Shanghai's tech-focused Star50 index, China's answer to Wall Street's Nasdaq, which is down only around six percent over the same period.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Its legs give out, and it falls onto her side with a ground-shaking rumble.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
U.S. initial jobless claims fell to 189,000 in the week through Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
On Thursday, when the S&P 500 fell 4.36% — its worst one-day decline since April 4, 2025 — the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index declined only 1.4%.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 237.33 points, or 0.46%, to 51285.73.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Gold’s continuous contract fell 0.8% to $4,082 early Friday, down considerably from a record high of over $5,500, reached only in January.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
As night fell, they made a shelter of bent hazel saplings and leaf mould by a muddy stream.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
The 30-year yield has fallen for five straight weeks, the longest losing streak since 2022.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
"Technology shares have been affected by external risks and have fallen in tandem with their counterparts in the US, Japan and South Korea," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
In July, the Guardia Civil said it was believed to have been started by a fallen power line, but that explanation has been called into question.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
But the case against Bennett had fallen apart in recent weeks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
He pulled up and back, until she was sitting on top of the fallen tree.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Then on Thursday, as tech stocks tumbled, the implied chances of a December hike took a hit in futures markets, falling from more than 80% to close to 70%, according to CME’s FedWatch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
"This is not an easy time, with shares falling and high rates on debt markets -- and little chance of any easing moves soon by central banks," Baradez said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
At a loss, Helen and Minnie somehow end up attaching to each other, falling into a strange but comfortable rhythm, play-acting the roles they yearn for, filling a Callie-shaped hole.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
He will also point to falling police performance, saying positive outcomes nationally are now less than half the level they were 12 years ago, while public confidence has fallen by 9%.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
“London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down.”
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
