downfall
Americannoun
-
a sudden loss of position, health, or reputation
-
a fall of rain, snow, etc, esp a sudden heavy one
-
another word for deadfall
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of downfall
Explanation
A downfall is a sudden drop in status or strength. You might be winning at Monopoly until your opponents decide to team up against you, which leads to your downfall. Poor political decisions can result in the downfall of a government or party, and an economic depression can lead to the downfall of businesses and banks. A more literal, but less common, kind of downfall is when rain or snow falls down to the ground: "The downfall of snow will make the roads slippery tonight." The "decline in strength" meaning has been in use since the 14th century.
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.
He abandons Lily to social, financial and bodily ruin—an end that feels as inevitable as the downfall of Antigone.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026
In Gdansk, she also met Poland's ex-president Lech Walesa, who led the 1980s Solidarity movement that provoked the downfall of the Communist regime in Warsaw.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
The Donaldson downfall has also come at a cost to the DUP.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
The way in which I don’t have a filter could be my greatest strength, or it could be the thing that leads to my downfall.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
Curiously, later in the tournament that “free” point almost led to his downfall.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
