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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.

While employers are legally required to maintain benefit records, especially for pension and employer-sponsored life insurance, they too can fall down on the job.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

But another policymaker said earlier this month there was a growing risk that the U.K. might be heading for a recession should inflation fall down to target.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

“The Chair Company” allows us to see how anyone might fall down the chutes into which Robinson’s Joe Average easily slides.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2025

“You know, a serious-minded man like myself, I would never get caught scrolling and watching people fall down or make funny dance things. But I do love it. I have to. I’m surrounded by it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2025

Were any of them alive to see the towers fall down?

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

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.