downfall
Americannoun
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a sudden loss of position, health, or reputation
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a fall of rain, snow, etc, esp a sudden heavy one
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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.
See Examples For:
But it would be precisely that historical moment that would be the band’s downfall.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
It marks a sudden downfall for Situational, led by former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
McCarthy rode the furor created by his speech to the heights of political celebrity, and ultimately to his own downfall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
John Healey and Al Carns resigned from Sir Keir's government in June over a previous version of the plan, contributing to the prime minister's downfall.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
It was something undefinable I’d already been living with for months, now enflamed by Papa’s downfall.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Whether any of these downfalls will result in a re-examination of how men treat women writ large looks less likely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
One of the company’s downfalls was not having enough self-branded products, Lotman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
What will be so frustrating for Arsenal and Liverpool is they were both architects of their own downfalls with desperately poor performances just when they needed victory most.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2024
The four-part series chronicles Beckham’s early beginnings, career highlights, career downfalls and family life through interviews with Beckham and old footage.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2023
We see it applaud just as vigorously at the triumph of the Girondists, the Hebertists, the Dantonists, and the Terrorists as at their successive downfalls.
From The Psychology of Revolution by Gustave Le Bon
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.
