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
One major contributor, the docuseries seems to argue, is the downfall of the prosecution at the hands of its own witnesses.
—
Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
As Nick Saban mentioned, the former Alabama coach insists that the current system is going to be the downfall of athletic programs across the country.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
Last month, the government also charged a special forces soldier who made over $400,000 from Polymarket trades betting on the downfall of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
—Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Spirit’s downfall affected 4,853 employees in Broward, Miami-Dade and Orange counties.
—News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2026
As Nick Saban mentioned, the former Alabama coach insists that the current system is going to be the downfall of athletic programs across the country.
—Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
Last month, the government also charged a special forces soldier who made over $400,000 from Polymarket trades betting on the downfall of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
—Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Spirit’s downfall affected 4,853 employees in Broward, Miami-Dade and Orange counties.
—News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for downfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downfall
Noun
-
It was first adopted in 2017 with a goal of reaching zero traffic deaths by 2027.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
In an effort to conceal the causes of death, Sit impersonated the owners and had the dogs cremated, according to prosecutors.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Oslo University Hospital on June 5 said Mette-Marit had been placed on a waiting list for a lung transplant after a significant deterioration in her health that likely gave her only a year left to live without the surgery.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
That moment revealed profound psychiatric deterioration and human suffering.—
Justyna Rzewinski,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Fans of Mays’ recall that his character on the FX gritty urban drama Snowfall, Kevin Hamilton, also suffered an accidental demise.—
Ronda Racha Penrice,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
-
Griffin flew sixteen people to Houston on a chartered jet to interview hundreds of Enron’s employees during that company’s demise.—
Gary Sernovitz,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
The remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur battered parts of the southeastern United States with drenching rains and strong wind on Thursday, tearing through buildings, flooding homes and launching water rescues along the Gulf Coast.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
The system's impacts will be felt for the next couple of days in the form of ongoing heavy, flooding rain.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Israeli troops occupy more than 10% of Lebanese territory, leaving a trail of destruction that has seen swaths of the country’s south all but razed.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
There are those who would write her off, and perhaps her timidity before America’s facilitation of Gaza’s destruction has earned that dismissal.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Forest degradation, driven by wildfires, logging and drought, affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.—
Gabriela Sa Pessoa,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
-
Forest degradation, driven by wildfires, logging and drought, affects about 40% of the Amazon and has outpaced clear-cutting in recent years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Thibodeaux will spell those players and likely shift inside more on passing downs.—
Dan Duggan,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
The Tar Heels went three-up, three-down in the sixth, but the next inning Gallaher and his teammates were having a jolly time on a clear and cool evening at Charles Schwab Field.—
Eric Olson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Damaging wind gusts potentially topping 75 mph will take over as the main threat later Wednesday night, with individual storms expected to merge into cohesive lines from eastern Kansas first and eventually expand to western Ohio.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline.—
MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT,
Miami Herald,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downfall. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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