free fall

noun

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of free fall

1 : the condition of unrestrained motion in a gravitational field; also : such motion

2 a : the part of a parachute jump before the parachute opens

b : a rapid and continuing drop or decline

a free fall in stock prices

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free-fall

play \ˈfrē-ˌfȯl\ intransitive verb

See free fall defined for English-language learners

Examples of free fall in a Sentence

Sales were in free fall.

Recent Examples of free fall from the Web

Things are currently looking pretty bleak for West Ham United fans, with the Hammers enduring a seemingly unrelenting free fall in the Premier League, with the imminent threat of relegation looming as the season nears its final weeks.

— SI.com, "West Ham United Fans Disappointed With Cheikhou Kouyate's Recent Form Following Burnley Defeat," 13 Mar. 2018
In decline for the better part of 15 years, Venezuela’s oil industry has entered a free fall in recent months, contributing to the nation’s economic and social chaos.

— Washington Post, "The Venezuelan oil industry is on a cliff’s edge. Trump could tip it over.," 25 Feb. 2018
The first full-sized version of the slide that was tested was essentially a basic slide that would have sent riders on essentially a free fall for 17 stories, and then a 55-foot hump afterward.

— steve vockrodt scott canon and katy bergen, kansascity, "The making of Schlitterbahn’s Verrückt water slide: Too much, too fast? | The Kansas City Star," 12 Aug. 2016
For nearly two decades, the music business was in free fall.

— peter kafka, Recode, "The music business had its second year in a row of big-time growth, thanks to streaming," 22 Mar. 2018
That comes as the Venezuelan bolívar fuerte has been in free fall partly due to excessive printing of money, while the country still owes its creditors some $141 billion.

— lucinda shen, Fortune, "Venezuela President Claims His Country's Answer to Bitcoin, Petro, Raises $735 Million," 22 Feb. 2018
Vanish Point, which features a 70-foot free fall, will let riders choose between two skyboxes, each of which will send them through 425 feet of spiraling tubes.

— marjie lambert, miamiherald, "From Toy Story Land to Fast & Furious: What’s opening in Florida theme parks in 2018 | Miami Herald," 1 Mar. 2018
Bouchard’s ranking may have gone into free fall, but this cut both ways.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Breaking Down the Details of the Proposed Davis Cup Changes," 28 Feb. 2018
Fishermen who worked the bay could not fish there for more than a month, leaving them in a financially perilous situation amid soaring inflation and a national economy in free fall.

— kirk semple, New York Times, "‘A Bomb on the Doorstep’: Venezuela Fishermen Fight an Oil Giant," 25 Feb. 2018

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

First Known Use of free fall

1851

See Words from the same year

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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FREE FALL Defined for English Language Learners

free fall

noun

Definition of free fall for English Language Learners

: the state or condition of falling through the air toward the ground
: the condition of quickly becoming lower, less, or fewer
: a fast or continuing drop

Medical Dictionary

free fall

noun \ -ˌfȯl \

medical Definition of free fall

: the condition of unrestrained motion in a gravitational field; also : such motion

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Nglish: Translation of free fall for Spanish speakers

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free fall

Definition of free fall

free-fall

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free fall

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free fall

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free-fall

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free fall

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