downfall

noun

down·​fall ˈdau̇n-ˌfȯl 

1

a

: a sudden fall (as from power)

b

: a fall (as of snow or rain) especially when sudden or heavy

2

: something that causes a downfall (as of a person)

gambling was his downfall

downfallen

ˈdau̇n-ˌfȯ-lən 

adjective

Synonyms

• death
• destruction
• undoing
• ruination
• curse
• kiss of death
• ruin

Examples of downfall in a Sentence

Their downfall was the result of several bad decisions.

Bad decision-making was their downfall.

Recent Examples on the Web

Dern defends takedowns at 25 percent, and her comfort level on the ground could be her downfall if Jandiroba gets on top of her every round. —Brett Appley, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

Instead, the soldiers carried bacteria that cause enteric fever and relapsing fever, two diseases that may have hastened the army’s downfall. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025

As somebody who started as a blogger, my dream was always to disrupt legacy media, to see its downfall, sort of. —David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Nearly all of Florida’s Acropora coral colonies are now dead, a dramatic downfall linked to a record-breaking ocean heat wave in 2023. —Doyle Rice, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for downfall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

downfall

noun

down·​fall ˈdau̇n-ˌfȯl 

1

: fall sense 2c

especially : a sudden or heavy fall (as of rain)

2

: a fall (as from power, happiness, or high position) or a cause of such a fall

downfallen

-ˌfȯ-lən 

adjective