rockfall

noun

rock·​fall ˈräk-ˌfȯl How to pronounce rockfall (audio)
: a mass of falling or fallen rocks

Examples of rockfall in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Other significant hazards include instability, ground cracking and rockfalls around the Kīlauea caldera . Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 10 Nov. 2025 While Telluride’s via ferrata is public, guiding outfits permitted to use the route are trained to look for flaws, such as if a bolt has been loosened or a cable has been hit with rockfall, says Rutledge. Jen Murphy, Outside, 8 Oct. 2025 The North Kaibab Trail is closed because of extensive damage and rockfalls along the upper section of the trail. Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 25 Sep. 2025 None of them said that climate change could fully explain the catastrophe—the Kleine Nesthorn was inherently prone to rockfalls, and the immediate cause was gravity—but all were convinced that climate change had played a key role. Daniel A. Gross, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rockfall

Word History

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rockfall was in 1901

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Cite this Entry

“Rockfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rockfall. Accessed 22 Nov. 2025.

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