fallen
Americanverb
adjective
-
having dropped or come down from a higher place, from an upright position, or from a higher level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.
-
on the ground; prostrate; down flat.
Exhausted, the racers lay fallen by the road.
-
degraded or immoral.
-
(of a woman) having lost her chastity.
-
overthrown, destroyed, or conquered.
a fallen city.
-
dead.
fallen troops.
verb
adjective
-
having sunk in reputation or honour
a fallen woman
-
killed in battle with glory
our fallen heroes
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defeated
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fallen
First recorded before 900, for the adjective
Explanation
Something that's fallen has dropped to the ground. You might collect fallen apples to make into cider or applesauce. The most literal sense of something fallen is just what it sounds like — an object that's moved from a high place to a lower place, usually due to gravity. There are also some figurative meanings: a fallen soldier has died on the battlefield, and a fallen person has committed a moral sin or ruined his reputation. In the 17th century, fallen frequently meant "morally ruined," more often describing a women than a man.
Vocabulary lists containing fallen
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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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.
Both benchmarks had fallen Friday after a volatile week marked by shifting expectations around U.S.-Iran diplomacy and renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Many species can go unnoticed among fallen leaves, rotting wood and the bases of trees, but Benwell said taking the time to look more closely opens up a hidden world.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Rising Treasury yields have put pressure on yield-sensitive investments like utilities, real-estate investment trusts and home-builder stocks, while the market has fallen back on a familiar life raft: tech stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 27, 2026
The rain has fallen almost continually since Thursday afternoon, flooding roads and swelling Bangkok's canals, sending water into many homes and restaurants alongside them, AFP reporters saw.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
When Annad had finally fallen asleep, exhausted by the excitement, Rowan lay awake in his bed, looking out of the window at the huge bulk of the Mountain.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
