1
as in ruins
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 deteriorations
a change to a lower state or level
the gradual downfall of the Roman Empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demises
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 rains
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 downfalls
Some of those mistakes eventually cause their downfalls.
—
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
The lack of effective clock management was one of the downfalls of the Bears’ last coach, Matt Eberflus.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
Robert B. Reich, Hartford Courant, 21 Aug. 2025
The lack of effective clock management was one of the downfalls of the Bears’ last coach, Matt Eberflus.
—Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downfalls
Noun
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Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean just south of France's Corsica, is famed for its beaches and ancient ruins.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Well, or how the ancient ruins of Petra stole the show in the final scenes of Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).—
Mathew Scott,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The mission, the fourth of 2025, would also be Starship's first flight since May 27 amid a year plagued by explosive demises for the vehicle.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
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But a good time in enviable vacation spots is guaranteed, with ghoulish demises for many principal figures here served up like caviar on sashimi.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Heavy rains and thunderstorms caused flooding in much of Broward and Miami-Dade counties Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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His activism was sparked by the devastating floods and rains in Uganda.—
Aniebiet Ntui,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Michelle Kowalski, an analyst who has since departed the agency, was instructed to take one of the DOGE people, Cole Killian, through earnings data and historical records to analyze the cases of extremely old people whose deaths had not been recorded in Social Security data.—
Eli Hager,
ProPublica,
8 Sep. 2025
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Among those fentanyl deaths were 20 young children — ages 4 and under — and seven of those babies and toddlers were from Jackson County.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For the next three years, early intervention programs — including reading, music and speech therapy — helped monitor Ness' children, looking for possible cognitive or learning setbacks.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Using real-world victories and setbacks, Williams outlines a replicable approach to leadership that empowers readers to achieve meaningful, lasting impact for their companies or communities.—
Forbes Books Press Release Official,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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According to the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center, the average Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, sees 14 named storms, including seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes—categories 3, 4, and 5.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
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Friday’s widespread storms that served up floods and gridlock to afternoon commuters from the Keys to Coral Gables should begin to taper off as people head back out for a night on the town.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Seth was given the job to create a list of curses and a list of clean words that Steve could shout.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The second series investigates deaths involving apparent falls from heights — examining whether victims were pushed from locations like balconies, cliffs and bridges.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Then, as evening falls, stroll along the canals or watch the sun melt into Øresund’s horizon—tracing wind turbines spinning in silhouette.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downfalls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downfalls. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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