fell

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈfel 

1

: skin, hide, pelt

2

: a thin tough membrane covering a carcass directly under the hide

fell

2 of 5

verb

felled; felling; fells

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut, knock, or bring down

fell a tree

b

: kill

Her father was felled by a heart attack.

2

: to sew (a seam) by folding one raw edge under the other and sewing flat on the wrong side

fellable

ˈfe-lə-bəl 

adjective

feller noun

fell

3 of 5

past tense of fall

fell

4 of 5

adjective

1

a

: fierce, cruel, terrible

b

: sinister, malevolent

a fell purpose

c

: very destructive : deadly

a fell disease

2

Scotland : sharp, pungent

fellness noun

fell

5 of 5

noun

dialectal British

: a high barren field or moor

Synonyms

Verb

• bowl (down or over)
• down
• drop
• floor
• knock down
• knock over
• level
• mow (down)
• prostrate

Adjective

• baleful
• deadly
• deathly
• fatal
• killer
• lethal
• mortal
• murderous
• pestilent
• terminal
• vital

Examples of fell in a Sentence

Verb

using an ax to fell a tree

He's strong enough to fell an ox.

Adjective

planning for the distribution of resources in case of some fell event

war crimes committed by a fell and barbarous enemy

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The tree was felled around 1 p.m. and had been put up again within five hours, according to the park service. —Adam Carlson, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2023

This wasn't the first time the nation's 'first tree' was felled by gusts. —Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 28 Nov. 2023

But then, in the season finale, Izzy’s felled by a bullet, to the sorrow of his crew and the outrage of some fans. —Lisa Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2023

At least three National Christmas trees have been felled by wind, including one in 2011 that blew over. —Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023

Magic Johnson: the joy of the Showtime Lakers felled by an HIV diagnosis before transitioning into a great American entrepreneurial success story. —Will Leitch, WSJ, 17 Nov. 2023

Eventually, mature trees are felled to provide raw materials for builders, furniture makers and others. —Justin Wm. Moyer, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023

In 2021, Evergrande defaulted, representing the start of a real estate meltdown that has shaken China’s economy, felled some of its biggest companies and left home buyers waiting on more than a million apartments. —Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2023

Even on trails where volunteers have cleared trees felled by the storm, the piles of wood pose a wildfire hazard. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2023

Adjective

The Oura ring is a discreet, sophisticated wellness tracker that monitors over 20 biometric signals in one fell swoop, from your blood oxygen, sleep quality and stress levels to workout stats, heart rate and temperature trends for early illness detection. —Noma Nazish, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

Coach closed 25% of its stores in one fell swoop in 2014, dialed back its discount outlet business, and eventually ended up removing half the products in its cluttered assortment. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023

Aside from the aforementioned Dyson deals, score savings on the GHD Hair Straightener that Anne Hathaway’s hairstylist Adir Abergel swears by and a styling brush that acts as a portable glam squad—drying, smoothing, and curling in one fell swoop. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2023

Lucky for you, the best Sephora gifts have been released well ahead of the holidays — meaning everyone on your list can be crossed off in one fell swoop. —Shanna Shipin, Allure, 28 Sep. 2023

Thanks to the negotiation of chair Colm Kelleher, UBS managed to generate nearly $30 billion in value for its own shareholders in one fell swoop. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023

Roughly six months before my bat mitzvah, ALL of my friends ditched me in one fell swoop. —Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 30 Aug. 2023

The Microsoft project aims to teach AI how to use any and all digital tools in one fell swoop, a clever and efficient approach. —Bruce Schneier, WIRED, 29 Aug. 2023

That Michelle Obama moment changed the trajectory of Hudson’s fashion brand in one fell swoop. —Emil Wilbekin, Essence, 21 Aug. 2023

Noun

The landscape is still worked by traditional sheep farmers, with their livestock inescapable when out tramping over the fells. —Jack Guy, CNN, 16 May 2023

Fell-Davis fell apart. —Meg Bernhard, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2023

As day turned to night, an uncanny quiet fell, with the remnants of Ghani’s government calling for calm. —Marcus Yam, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2021

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German fel skin, Latin pellis

Verb

Middle English, from Old English fellan; akin to Old English feallan to fall — more at fall

Adjective

Middle English fel, from Anglo-French — more at felon

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse fell, fjall mountain; akin to Old High German felis rock

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

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

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fell

• fell into the habit
• in/at one fell swoop
• fell silent

• fell into the habit
• in/at one fell swoop
• fell silent

Kids Definition

fell

1 of 3 verb

ˈfel 

1

a

: to cut, beat, or knock down

fell trees

b

: kill entry 1 sense 1

2

: to sew (a seam) by folding one edge under the other

fell

2 of 3

past of fall entry 1

fell

3 of 3 adjective

: fierce sense 1, cruel

also : deadly entry 1 sense 1, deadly entry 1 sense 2a

Etymology

Verb

Old English fellan "to knock down"

Adjective

Middle English fel "fierce, terrible," from early French fel (same meaning), from fel, felon "villain, evildoer" — related to felon