FELL ON ONE'S FACE Synonyms: 52 Similar and Opposite Words

fell on one's face

phrase

past tense of fall on one's face

as in collapsed

to be unsuccessful Remembering how she fell on her face giving the speech the first time spurred her to practice it till she had it down.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell on one's face

Phrase

District 4 candidate Christina Romelus had 40% of the vote with all precincts counted but fell short of the 50% threshold.

— Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026
Texas ultimately fell short of the 12-team CFP while the Buckeyes lost their last two games, the latter in the CFP quarterfinals.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of fell short

Phrase

Just last year, Nate Bargatze entered Emmys night as a peak-of-fame comedian, and ended the evening as the object of mass audience disgruntlement after a running joke about winners’ lengthy speeches taking money away from children in need fell flat.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
But when the game still mattered, when the starters were out there, the Panthers fell flat.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of fell flat

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.

Browse Nearby Words

fell off

fell on one's face

fell out

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Fell on one's face.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20on%20one%27s%20face. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fell on one's face

phrase

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

rigmarole

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes