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 sense 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
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
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
1
: the act of falling by the force of gravity
2
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 compare standard sense 8b
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
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
: of, relating to, or suitable for autumn
a new fall coat
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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