fell
play
\ˈfel\;
fallen
play
\ˈfȯ-lən\;
falling
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
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
b
: to drop in pitch or volume - their voices fell to a whisper
c
: issue 1a - wisdom that fell from his lips
4 a
: to leave an erect position suddenly and involuntarily - slipped and fell on the ice
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
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
c
: to decline in quality, activity, or quantity
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
f
: to decline in financial value or price
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
10
: to set about heartily or actively
—
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
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
—
fall for
1
: to fall in love with - He fell for her the moment he saw her.
2
: to become a victim of
—
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 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.