free fall

¹ American  

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.

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free-fall ² American  

[free-fawl] / ˈfriˌfɔl /

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.

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adjective

1. denoting or suggesting a free fall.

   a free-fall recession.

noun

1. free fall.

free fall British  

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

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free fall Cultural  

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).

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free fall Idioms  

1. 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]

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Discover More

During free fall, objects are said to be weightless.

Etymology

Origin of free fall¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of free-fall²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Software and services stocks have been in free fall for weeks, dragging the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF to the lowest levels in nearly a year and more than 30% from its mid-September peak.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

By midday in New York, metals prices were in free fall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 2, 2026

But home values are not in a free fall.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 7, 2025

But gifted playwrights know how to read the signs of a society in free fall.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

I take the stairs two at a time, my clumsy feet stumbling twice, my hand gripping the railing to keep me from a free fall.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson