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Synonyms

fall down

British  

verb

  1. to drop suddenly or collapse

  2. informal (often foll by on) to prove unsuccessful; fail

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fall down Idioms  

  1. Fail to meet expectations; lag in performance. For example, It was disappointing to see him fall down on the job. This expression transfers a literal drop to a figurative one. [Second half of 1800s]

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.

Fall down the rabbit hole of YouTube disinformation.

From The Verge • Mar. 23, 2021

"Fall down seven times, get up eight. Ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. So keep moving, keep growing, keep learning. See you at work."

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2017

"Fall down and you're history," says veterinarian Terry Springer as we crawl out on a rickety catwalk over a beach in Alaska's Pribilof Islands.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Fall down upon the grass my child and wait, but be sure that in the falling you gain the power to wait!"

From Lily Pearl and The Mistress of Rosedale by Glenwood, Ida

Enough for Him whom cherubim Worship night and day, A breastful of milk And a mangerful of hay; Enough for Him whom angels Fall down before, The ox and ass and camel Which adore.

From In The Yule-Log Glow, Book IV by Morris, Harrison S. (Harrison Smith)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.