fall on

verb

1. Also: fall upon. to attack or snatch (an army, booty, etc)

2. to fail, esp in a ridiculous or humiliating manner

3. to emerge unexpectedly well from a difficult situation

Idioms and Phrases

Also, fall upon.

Attack suddenly and viciously, as in They fell on the guards and overpowered them . [c. 1400]

Meet with, encounter, as in They fell on hard times . [Late 1500s]

Find by chance, discover, as in We fell upon the idea last Saturday night . [Mid-1600s]

Be the responsibility or duty of someone, as in It fell on Clara to support the entire family . [Mid-1800s] Also see the subsequent idioms beginning with fall on .

Related Words

• allow 
• become 
• consider 
• enjoy 
• experience 
• feel 
• know 
• leave 
• need 
• permit 
• see 
• suffer 
• undergo