fell

1 of 5

noun (1)

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 adjective
feller noun

fell

3 of 5

past tense of fall

fell

4 of 5

adjective

1
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

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 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fell was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fell

Cite this Entry

“Fell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fell. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

fell

1 of 3 verb
1
a
: to cut, beat, or knock down
fell trees
2
: to sew (a seam) by folding one edge under the other

fell

2 of 3

past of fall entry 1

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

More from Merriam-Webster on fell

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!