free fall

¹

noun

1. the hypothetical fall of a body such that the only force acting upon it is that of gravity.

2. the part of a parachute jump that precedes the opening of the parachute.

3. a decline, especially a sudden or rapid decline, as in value or prestige, that appears to be endless or bottomless.

   The economy was in a free fall all winter.

free-fall

²

[free-fawl]

verb (used without object)

free-fell, free-fallen, free-falling. 

1. (of parachutists) to descend initially, as for a designated interval, in a free fall.

   The jumpers were required to free-fall for eight seconds.

adjective

1. denoting or suggesting a free fall.

   a free-fall recession.

noun

1. free fall.

free fall

noun

1. free descent of a body in which the gravitational force is the only force acting on it

2. the part of a parachute descent before the parachute opens

free fall

1. In physics, the motion of a body being acted upon only by gravity. A satellite in orbit is in free fall, as is a skydiver (if we neglect the effects of air resistance).

During free fall, objects are said to be weightless.

Word History and Origins

Origin of free fall¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of free fall²

First recorded in 1830–40

Idioms and Phrases

A rapid, uncontrolled decline, as in The markets threatened to go into free fall and we came close to outright panic. This term transfers the aeronautical meaning of a free fall, that is, “a fall through the air without any impedance, such as a parachute,” to other kinds of precipitous drop. [Second half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Someone offering you a higher fixed rate of interest on bonds, at a moment when the economy is in free fall, is someone offering you free money.

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At the same time, his stunning free fall might wind up making him surprisingly good value as a late-round pick for Cleveland.

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But home values are not in a free fall.

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With a sudden end to foreign exchange earnings, Venezuelan GDP went into the kind of free fall you rarely see outside war, setting off a humanitarian crisis that brought millions to the brink of starvation.

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Walmart shares continued their free fall, and executives made an unplanned exit from the stage to regroup before returning to take questions.

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