falling action
Americannoun
Usage
What is falling action? Falling action is what happens near the end of a story after the climax and resolution of the major conflict. The majority of literary and dramatic works (stories, novels, plays, movies) are built on action—characters doing things, typically pursuing things they want. The climax (the most intense part of the story, often a turning point or a conclusion to the conflict) is preceded by rising action and followed by falling action. Simply put, falling action is what the characters are doing after the story’s most dramatic part has happened. You can see falling action in action (see what we did there?) in just about any form of narrative. And being able to identify it and the other structural elements of a story can help you craft compelling stories of your own.
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.
It starts from a place of safety, but then comes the rising action, the climax, the falling action — all of that,” says Wester.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
In short, there is no rising action, no climax, no falling action . . . which is no way to tell a story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Although personal narratives usually follow the traditional narrative arc of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, personal writing has several unique features.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 21, 2021
Rather, his illness just seems to emphasize that we’re inside the falling action of the play, the working out of choices and themes that were established months ago.
From New York Times ● Oct. 2, 2020
The orations of Antony, in vivid contrast to the conciliatory but unimpassioned speeches of Brutus, fire the people and liberate fresh forces in the falling action.
From The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar by Ebenezer Charlton Black
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