FALLS (TO) Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

falls (to)

verb

present tense third-person singular of fall (to)

as in begins

to take the first step in (a process or course of action) after some refreshments, she fell to working with renewed vigor

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for falls (to)

Verb

Andrew offers his distraught daughter little sympathy, and from that moment, a murder plot begins to take shape.

— Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
Episode 4 begins with Stuart confined to a mental health facility, where he’s heavily medicated and quietly judged by a psychiatrist who believes his visions of alternate universes are all in his head.

— Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of begins

Verb

The Europa League commences with its first league phase fixtures next week, on Wednesday, September 16 and Thursday, September 17.

— Leon Imber, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
This tender novel of intimacy and its risks begins in Boston in 1969, as Eve, a dancer, commences an affair with a colleague—an indiscretion that spurs her husband, a journalist named Gabe, to cheat, too.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of commences

Verb

Three steps to nuclear power The development path starts with conventional propulsion.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026
An exchange needs on-premise deployment inside its own perimeter; a broker is often better served by a hybrid model; and a family office or bank starts from regulatory requirements that differ case by case.

— Sergey Stopnevich, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of starts

Verb

The front door opens to a wall of giant spindly cacti masking large south-facing windows.

— Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026
Nike's stock price has plummeted nearly 80% from its 2021 peak, and the company is set to be removed from the S&P 100 Index before the market opens next Monday.

— , CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of opens

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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falls short (of)

falls (to)

fall (to)

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“Falls (to).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falls%20%28to%29. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of falls (to)

verb

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