fall

verb \ ˈfȯl \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of fall

fell play \ˈfel\; fallen play \ˈfȯ-lən\; falling

intransitive verb

1 a : to descend freely by the force of gravity

An apple fell from the tree.

b : to hang freely

her hair falls over her shoulders

c : to drop oneself to a lower position

fell to his knees

d : to come or go as if by falling

darkness falls early in the winter

2 : to become born —usually used of lambs

3 a : to become lower in degree or level

the temperature fell 10°

b : to drop in pitch or volume

their voices fell to a whisper

c : issue 1a

wisdom that fell from his lips

d : to become lowered

her eyes fell

4 a : to leave an erect position suddenly and involuntarily

slipped and fell on the ice

b : to enter as if unawares : stumble, stray

fell into error

We fell into a trap.

c : to drop down wounded or dead; especially : to die in battle

Many men fell on the battlefield.

d : to suffer military capture

after a long siege the city fell

e : to lose office

the party fell from power

f : to suffer ruin, defeat, or failure

the deal fell through

5 : to commit an immoral act

but man willfully misused his God-given freedom and fell into sin
—John Hick

especially : to lose one's chastity

6 a : to move or extend in a downward direction

the land falls away to the east

b : subside, abate

the wind is falling

c : to decline in quality, activity, or quantity

production fell off

d : to lose weight —used with off or away

The cattle have fallen off badly in the drought.

e : to assume a look of shame, disappointment, or dejection

his face fell

f : to decline in financial value or price

stocks fell sharply

7 a : to occur at a certain time

her birthday falls on a Monday this year

b : to come by chance

a job that fell into his hands

c : to come or pass by lot, assignment, or inheritance : devolve

it fell to him to break the news

d : to have a certain or proper position, place, or station

the accent falls on the second syllable

8 : to come within the limits, scope, or jurisdiction of something

this word falls into the class of verbs

9 : to pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind or a new state or condition

fall asleep

fall in love

10 : to set about heartily or actively

fell to work

11 : strike, impinge

music falling on the ear

transitive verb

: fell 1

— fall all over oneself or fall over oneself or fall over backward

: to display great or excessive eagerness

Fans were falling all over themselves trying to get the basketball star's autograph.

— fall apart

1 : disintegrate

The pie was falling apart as I served it.

2 : to succumb to mental or emotional stress : break down

She began to fall apart when her son was imprisoned.

— fall behind

1 : to lag behind

The slower hikers fell behind the group.

2 : to be in arrears

He fell behind in his car payments.

— fall between two stools

: to fail because of inability to choose between or reconcile two alternative or conflicting courses of action

— fall flat

: to produce no response or result

the joke fell flat

— fall for

1 : to fall in love with

He fell for her the moment he saw her.

2 : to become a victim of

fell for the trick

— fall from grace

: to lose acceptance or good reputation

The governor fell from grace when he was accused of tax fraud.

— fall home

: to curve inward —used of the timbers or upper parts of a ship's side

— fall into line

: to comply with a certain course of action

The company fell into line with the new regulations.

— fall on or fall upon

: to meet with

fell on hard times

— fall on one's face

: to fail utterly

the movie fell on its face at the box office

— fall on one's sword

: to sacrifice one's pride or position

The coach fell on his sword apologizing for the team's poor season.

— fall short

1 : to be deficient

The expedition's supplies began to fall short.

2 : to fail to attain something (such as a goal or target)

The results fell short of expectations.

See fall defined for English-language learners

See fall defined for kids

Examples of fall in a Sentence

An apple fell from the tree.
A vase fell off the shelf.
Rain fell from the sky.
the sound of the falling rain
She slipped and fell on the ice.
He fell flat on his face.
She was afraid that I would trip and fall.
He fell down the stairs.
One of the sailors had fallen overboard.
He fell back onto the bed.

Recent Examples of fall from the Web

Even as the number of textile firms in Prato fell from more than 9,400 to below 3,000 in the two decades to 2011, the number of clothing manufacturers more than tripled to nearly 4,400, three-quarters of which had Chinese owners.

— The Economist, "Tuscan whineLong-term Chinese immigrants in Italy," 17 May 2018
The bystanders said the boat the woman fell from had a lot of people on it, and many of them bailed out of the boat onto the north side of the Riverwalk.

— hannah leone, chicagotribune.com, "Passerby rescues woman who fell from boat into Chicago River," 17 May 2018
Farmers and sheep herders were out in their fields, wondering what the fine ash falling from the sky was.

— leah sottile, Longreads, "Bundyville Chapter Three: A Clan Not to Cross," 17 May 2018
No new tsunamis or meteotsunamis are in the forecast, but the weather service says that by the end of the week, from 2 to 5 inches of rain could have fallen on the region.

— anthony r. wood, Philly.com, "That was a 'meteotsunami' that hit Jersey Shore during storm; it wasn't the first time," 16 May 2018
The study said the water table in Bangalore has fallen from 10-12 meters to 76-91 meters below the surface in the last two decades as the number of extraction wells soared.

— Washington Post, "Water mismanagement leaves India’s Silicon Valley parched," 16 May 2018
Arrests fell from about 26,000 people in 2014 to 17,500 people on average in the years since then, about 87 percent of them black or Hispanic.

— benjamin mueller, New York Times, "Mayor and Some Prosecutors Move to Curb Marijuana Arrests," 15 May 2018
Other images placing highly in the contest depicted the antihero falling from a building surrounded by debris, firing his gun amid a sea of chimichangas, riding a playground unicorn away from a massive explosion and more.

— chris thilk, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Deadpool 2' Marketing Blitz Bets on Too Much Being Just Enough," 14 May 2018
Most of those who died in Long Beach were felled by falling debris from those kinds of structures, which are made out of bricks, hollow concrete blocks, stones or adobe and lack steel bars and other shake-resilient components.

— john wilkens, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Decades-long march continues to rid San Diego of quake-vulnerable buildings," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fall

Middle English, from Old English feallan; akin to Old High German fallan to fall and perhaps to Lithuanian pulti

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

fall Synonyms

fall

noun

Definition of fall

1 : the act of falling by the force of gravity

2 a : a falling out, off, or away : dropping

the fall of leaves

a fall of snow

b : the season when leaves fall from trees : autumn

c : a thing or quantity that falls or has fallen

a fall of rock at the base of the cliff

; especially : one or more meteorites or their fragments that have fallen together

d (1) : birth

(2) : the quantity born —usually used of lambs

3 a : a costume decoration of lace or thin fabric arranged to hang loosely and gracefully

b : a very wide turned-down collar worn in the 17th century

c : the part of a turnover collar from the crease to the outer edge

d : a wide front flap on trousers (such as those worn by sailors)

e : the freely hanging lower edge of the skirt of a coat

f : one of the three outer and often drooping segments of the flower of an iris

g : long hair overhanging the face of dogs of some breeds

h : a usually long straight portion of hair that is attached to a person's own hair

4 : a hoisting-tackle rope or chain; especially : the part of it to which the power is applied

5 a : loss of greatness : collapse

the fall of the Roman Empire

b : the surrender or capture of a besieged place

the fall of Troy

c : lapse or departure from innocence or goodness

d : loss of a woman's chastity

e : the blame for a failure or misdeed

took the fall for the robbery

6 a : the downward slope (as of a hill) : declivity

b : a precipitous descent of water : waterfall —usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction

c : a musical cadence

d : a falling-pitch intonation in speech

7 : a decrease in size, quantity, degree, or value

8 a : the distance which something falls

b : inclination, pitch

9 a : the act of felling something

b : the quantity of trees cut down

c (1) : an act of forcing a wrestler's shoulders to the mat for a specified time (such as one second)

(2) : a bout of wrestling

10 Scotland : destiny, lot

See fall defined for English-language learners

Examples of fall in a Sentence

a fall from a horse
She's had several bad falls in recent years.
a fall of three feet
the rise and fall of the tide
She went off to college in the fall.
Several weeks of fall remain before winter begins.
When fall came he planted grass.
a fall in the price of oil

Recent Examples of fall from the Web

Get our daily newsletter The rise and fall of Rome is also visible.

— The Economist, "Arctic ice brings an understanding of ancient Europe’s economy," 19 May 2018
Rise and fall of Roman Empire exposed in Greenland ice samples Modern people aren’t the only ones who’ve polluted the atmosphere.

— katie langin, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: HPV vaccine debate, 2000-year-old pollution, and a lawmaker’s views on sea level rise," 18 May 2018
All the Boston punk bands seem to have experienced the same meteoric rise and fall.

— peter keough, BostonGlobe.com, "Punk rocking on both sides of the pond in ‘Boys From Nowhere’ and ‘Here to Be Heard’," 17 May 2018
Not only did famous Romans like Julius Caesar write about their own accomplishments and plaster their names and works on public buildings, historians also chronicled the rise and fall of the powerful civilization.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Greenland’s Ice Provides a Year-By-Year Account of the Roman Empire’s Economy," 16 May 2018
Now, traces of lead pollution buried deep in the Greenland ice are being uncovered, revealing the rise and fall of ancient European civilizations, according to a new study.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Secrets in the ice: Pollution in Greenland reveals rise and fall of ancient European civilizations," 14 May 2018
Guyton shared a helpful website that can be found on the Liberty County OEM website that has the hydrographs forecasting the rise and fall of the river.

— david taylor, Houston Chronicle, "NWS warns of busy hurricane season at conference," 13 May 2018
Gase is referring to Osweiler’s meteoric rise and fall from NFL prominence, which including him being signed to a four-year, $72 million deal by the Houston Texans in 2016 based on his 5-2 record as a starter with the Broncos.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dolphins are comfortable with team's backup quarterbacks," 10 May 2018
This groundbreaking study of early and medieval West Africa focusses on the rise and fall of the Kingdom of Ghana and the empires of Mali and Songhay.

— junot díaz, The New Yorker, "Briefly Noted," 7 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of fall

see ¹fall

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fall Synonyms

Synonyms

decadence, declension, declination, decline, degeneracy, degeneration, degradation, descent, deterioration, devolution, downfall, downgrade, ebb, eclipse;

Antonyms

ascent, rise, upswing;

Near Antonyms

advancement, development, evolution, growth;

blossoming, flourishing, flowering;

renewal, restoration, revitalization;

heightening;

accretion, accrual, addendum, addition, augmentation, boost, enhancement, gain, increase, increment, raise, supplement;

Related Words

dark age, nadir, sunset;

decay, rotting, spoiling;

breakup, crumbling, decomposition, disintegration, dissolution;

abasement, debasement;

depreciation, lessening;

decimation, demolishment, demolition, desolation, destruction, havoc, ruin, ruination;

abatement, decrease, decrement, de-escalation, deflation, diminishment, diminution, dip, downslide, downtrend, downturn, drop, drop-off, falloff, loss, lowering, reduction, sag, shrinkage, slip, slump;

Other Calendar Terms

antedate, estival, gloaming, luster, sesquicentennial

fall

adjective

Definition of fall

: of, relating to, or suitable for autumn

a new fall coat

Recent Examples of fall from the Web

Read more about Macron’s moment of truth on his labor law: QuickTake Q&A Macron’s popularity has declined precipitously ahead of France’s traditional fall protest season.

— mark deen, Bloomberg.com, "French Unions Fail to Draw Big Crowds Against Macron Reform," 12 Sep. 2017
The battle for fall taste buds is now in full swing.

— editors, USA TODAY, "The Vegas shooting, MH370: Sometimes there are no answers," 3 Oct. 2017
The improved health of local waters is highlighted by the now regular fall appearance of humpback whales feeding on large schools of Atlantic menhaden at the borders of New York harbor, within site of the Empire State Building.

— mark stoeckle, Smithsonian, "Scientists Can Tell What Fish Live Where Based On DNA in the Water," 13 Apr. 2017
Fall camp practices begin in Auburn today after players reported Sunday and there is much to be determined over the next five weeks.

— james crepea, AL.com, "5 Auburn players with the most to gain during fall camp," 31 July 2017
As these vegetables play themselves out, switch gears and focus on fall vegetables.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "Squash looking fried? Time to switch garden gears," 14 July 2017
The improved health of local waters is highlighted by the now regular fall appearance of humpback whales feeding on large schools of Atlantic menhaden at the borders of New York harbor, within site of the Empire State Building.

— mark stoeckle, Smithsonian, "Scientists Can Tell What Fish Live Where Based On DNA in the Water," 13 Apr. 2017
That should put him on track to at least participate somewhat in fall instructional league in September.

— mike berardino, Twin Cities, "Twins lose No. 3 prospect Alex Kirilloff for season to Tommy John surgery," 1 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of fall

see ¹fall

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1677

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

FALL Defined for English Language Learners

fall

verb

Definition of fall for English Language Learners

: to come or go down quickly from a high place or position
: to come or go down suddenly from a standing position
: to let yourself come or go down to a lower position

FALL Defined for Kids

fall

verb \ ˈfȯl \

Definition of fall for Students

fell \ˈfel\; fallen \ˈfȯ-lən\; falling

1 : to come or go down freely by the force of gravity

An apple fell from the tree.

2 : to come as if by falling

Night fell before we got home.

3 : to become lower (as in degree or value)

The temperature fell ten degrees.

4 : to topple from an upright position

The tree fell.

5 : to collapse wounded or dead

Too many soldiers have fallen in battle.

6 : to become captured

The city fell to the enemy.

7 : to occur at a certain time

This year my birthday falls on a Monday.

8 : to pass from one condition of body or mind to another

fall asleep

fall ill

— fall back

: ²retreat 1

“… the Witch and her crew will … fall back to her house and prepare for a siege.”
—C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

— fall short

: to fail to be as good or successful as expected

The sequel to my favorite movie fell short.

fall

noun

Definition of fall for Students

1 : the act or an instance of going or coming down by the force of gravity

a fall from a horse

2 : autumn

3 : a thing or quantity that falls

a heavy fall of snow

4 : a loss of greatness : downfall

the fall of an empire

5 : waterfall —usually used in pl.

Niagara Falls

6 : a decrease in size, amount, or value

a fall in prices

7 : the distance something falls

a fall of three feet

Learn More about fall

See words that rhyme with fall Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fall Spanish Central: Translation of fall Nglish: Translation of fall for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fall for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fall

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fall

Definition of fall

Examples of fall in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fall from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fall

fall Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

fall

Definition of fall

Examples of fall in a Sentence

Recent Examples of fall from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fall

fall Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Calendar Terms

fall

Definition of fall

Recent Examples of fall from the Web

Origin and Etymology of fall

FALL Defined for English Language Learners

fall

Definition of fall for English Language Learners

FALL Defined for Kids

fall

Definition of fall for Students

fall

Definition of fall for Students

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