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Definition of downfall
1a : 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
From the M-W Editors
Examples of downfall in a Sentence
Their downfall was the result of several bad decisions.
Bad decision-making was their downfall.
Recent Examples of downfall from the Web
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And this shade of white will do all those things for you without bumming you out with a goopy or streaky formula (the downfall of many white or pale pastel nail polish shades).
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But there's one major downfall: the pull out method.
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Instead, his failure to get ahead of hitters led to his downfall.
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On December 9, McCain sat in the office of F.B.I. director James Comey and, with no other aides present, handed him the typed pages that could bring about the downfall of a president.
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And that, her mother said, may have been her downfall.
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If May is forced to resign in the coming days, her defeat will be due to a mixture of all the factors that led to the downfall of Duncan Smith, Thatcher, Cameron and others.
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An alert store employee apparently led to Crump’s downfall, so to speak.
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Ultimately, the fear and loathing Langhorne bred in competitors was its downfall.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'downfall'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of downfall
13th century
DOWNFALL Defined for English Language Learners
downfall
playDefinition of downfall for English Language Learners
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: a sudden loss of power, happiness, success, etc.
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: something that causes failure
DOWNFALL Defined for Kids
downfall
playDefinition of downfall for Students
: a sudden fall (as from power, happiness, or a high position) or the cause of such a fall the downfall of the Roman Empire Greed proved to be his downfall.
downfallen
\-ˌfȯl-ən\ adjectiveLearn More about downfall
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See words that rhyme with downfall Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for downfall Spanish Central: Translation of downfall Nglish: Translation of downfall for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of downfall for Arabic speakers
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