1
as in death
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life
an insatiable love of money would be their downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in deterioration
a change to a lower state or level
the gradual downfall of the Roman Empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demise
a loss of status
an ill-advised speech that proved to be the cause of the candidate's downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in rain
a steady falling of water from the sky in significant quantity
we ducked under an overhang to shelter ourselves from the sudden downfall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downfall
After the Civil War, the capital moved to Atlanta, which led to the economic downfall of Cook’s town.
—
Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
Nvidia's post-earnings downfall was very short lived.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
The thickest area of downfall was directly below.
—Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
Armstrong has since said that this return led to his downfall.
—Emily Krauser, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Curtis Bunn, NBC news, 28 Aug. 2025
Nvidia's post-earnings downfall was very short lived.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
The thickest area of downfall was directly below.
—Jim Tschetter, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2025
Armstrong has since said that this return led to his downfall.
—Emily Krauser, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downfall
Noun
-
Leaders from around the world mourned the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk after he was assassinated at a Utah university Wednesday.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement ‘This is war’ Several on the right have likened Kirk’s death to a declaration of war.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Initial jobless claims indicate only a minimal pickup in layoffs and/or deterioration in labor conditions at present, a positive dynamic.—
Jeffrey Schulze,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The largest member of the grass family, bamboo is combustible, susceptible to deterioration and weaker in rain, raising legitimate questions about its durability, Arup’s Ho said.—
Karina Tsui,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Young spoke with Variety about the unarticulated rivalry that the Lost Boys have with one another, playing an adult with the mind of a child and working with a real-life sheep while staging his character’s grisly demise.—
Leia Mendoza,
Variety,
10 Sep. 2025
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The atmosphere also helped play a role in the rapid demise of Hurricane Lorena off the Mexico coast, sparing that region a direct landfall.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When heavy rain occurs, there is a risk of flooding, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone regions.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
In the last few years, Beyoncé, Pink, and Noah Kahan, among others, have had concerts canceled or delayed by extreme lightning, rain, or wildfire smoke.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Critical wildlife habitat may be put at risk for alteration or wholesale destruction.—
Ryan Gellert,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But tenants have little legal footing to stand on in combating that destruction.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That prospect creates tremendous angst among activists who worry about the degradation of storage canisters over time.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The research shows that the batteries generate heat under high-load conditions to counteract performance degradation, a finding intended to create more resilient energy storage systems.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Fourth-and-8 isn’t really a great spot to risk a turnover on downs, but with kickoff touchbacks placing teams at the 35-yard line, a turnover at the 39-yard line isn’t particularly damning by comparison.—
Mike Kaye
September 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Amanu, the youngest, is the most experimental, wearing business casual ties and button downs one day and trying on a sequined dress and heels the next.—
Essence,
Essence,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The likelihood of lightning increases as a thunderstorm gets closer and reaches its highest point when the storm is directly overhead.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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None of the six summer arrivals have yet taken English football by storm and Wolves needed at least a couple of players who were battle-hardened in the league.—
Steve Madeley,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downfall. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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