waterfall

American  

[waw-ter-fawl, wot-er-] / ˈwɔ tərˌfɔl, ˈwɒt ər- /

noun

• waterfalls
  plural

1. a steep fall or flow of water in a watercourse from a height, as over a precipice; cascade.

2. a manner of arranging women's hair, as in long, loose waves.

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adjective

1. noting or relating to a philosophy of product development and production that includes sequential stages, from conception and design through testing and implementation, resulting in one finalized version of the product: waterfall management;

   waterfall development;

   waterfall management;

   a waterfall model.

waterfall British  

/ ˈwɔːtəˌfɔːl /

noun

1. a cascade of falling water where there is a vertical or almost vertical step in a river

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• waterfalls
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of waterfall

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English wætergefeall. See water, fall

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Explanation

A natural area where a river or stream cascades over a high precipice and pours down is called a waterfall. If you like to go canoeing down the river, make sure you stop before you get to that waterfall! The word waterfall comes from its Old English precursor, wætergefeall. It's a beautifully simple description of exactly what a waterfall is — water that falls continuously from a height, either in a river's course or over the edge of an iceberg. Waterfalls are most common in steep mountain rivers, but there are many smaller waterfalls as well. The world's tallest waterfall, Angel Falls in Venezuela, is over 3,000 feet high.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

waterfall waterfalls

We’d set the GPS to lead us to Valagil, a narrow waterfall forcing its way through a tight canyon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The lake ends at 27-metre-high waterfall, which has now stopped flowing.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Yang compares the behavior to water flowing over a waterfall.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

"Because a never-ending waterfall of legal claims and uncertainties for another four or five years would be absolutely appalling for the game."

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

He and Cherrie hurriedly climbed out of their own canoe and ran down along the bank of the river, making their way toward the waterfall.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Patient travelers are rewarded with some of the most dramatic scenery anywhere in Iceland, all frothing waterfalls and muscular peaks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The next morning, we detoured to another of Iceland’s great waterfalls, Kirkjufellsfoss.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park in California's Sierra Nevada mountains is internationally acclaimed for its spectacular granite cliffs, glaciers, waterfalls, sequoia trees and wildlife.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

Each pool features a hot tub, and a 35-foot waterslide flows into one of six waterfalls.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

I remember the five-fingered ferns growing under little waterfalls, bobbing their green fingers as the droplets struck them.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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