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.

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell on one's face
  1. fell short
  2. fell flat
Phrase
  • ServiceTitan — Shares fell over 30% after the technology company's third-quarter guidance on revenue fell short of estimates by analysts polled by FactSet.
    — Ananya Chetia, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • China’s trade growth accelerated last month, but data showing imports fell short of analysts’ expectations will likely add to calls for Beijing to rebalance its economy ahead of a high-stakes leaders summit with the US this month.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell short
Phrase
  • And contrary to popular belief, not all of last year’s big premieres fell flat at the Lido.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The habeas corpus action represented a last-ditch legal effort by Maxwell to secure her release after her appeals fell flat.
    — Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 25 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
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Cite this Entry

“Fell on one's face.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20on%20one%27s%20face. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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