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.
A backer of the prime minister said, when Burnham had faced tough questions in the by-election campaign, "he's fallen apart".
From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026
“The perceived risk of a global recession has fallen back towards the level seen immediately before the outbreak of the war,” says Jamie Thompson, head of macro scenarios at Oxford Economics.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Micron earnings have exceeded expectations for the past 12 quarters in a row, but the stock has fallen seven times in the trading session immediately following the report, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
From Barron's • Jun. 19, 2026
During the years when the constant had fallen out of favor, quantum field theory had become one of the most successful theories in science and a cornerstone of the Standard Model of particle physics.
From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026
Darkness had once more fallen at the soot-blackened windows.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
