fall to

British  

verb

1. (adverb) to begin some activity, as eating, working, or fighting

2. (preposition) to devolve on (a person)

   the task fell to me

3. (of a plan, theory, etc) to be rendered invalid, esp because of lack of necessary information

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fall to Idioms  

1. Energetically begin an activity, set to work, as in As soon as they had the right tools, they fell to work on the house. This expression is also often used to mean “begin to eat.” Charles Dickens so used it in American Notes (1842): “We fall-to upon these dainties.” [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

This year, slower immigration means “the breakeven pace could fall to nearly zero, requiring less than 10,000 new jobs per month in 2026,” according to a recent paper from the Federal Reserve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“Fame,” as Samuel Johnson put it, “is a shuttlecock. If it be struck only at one end of the room, it will soon fall to the ground.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal had expected the index to fall to 87.5.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Bitcoin rose 0.9% to $67,291 early Monday, reversing a near fall to $65,000 amid Middle East conflict fears.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

“Why didn’t she? Why would anyone stay in a country that was about to fall to the Nazis?”

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• begin