1
as in to down
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall
a champion boxer who was shockingly felled in the first round
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to mow
to bring down by cutting
the settlers began the daunting task of felling the mighty trees that blanketed the island
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to kill
to deprive of life
the quest for a cure for malaria, the disease that felled so many during the digging of the Panama Canal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in lethal
likely to cause or capable of causing death
planning for the distribution of resources in case of some fell event
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in savage
violently unfriendly or aggressive in disposition
a once-mighty nation conquered by a fell and barbarous enemy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fell
Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
With heavy snowfall and lashing winds, the storm is also expected to fell trees and down power lines.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The mascara is made with rich black pigments that define lashes in one fell swoop, plus nourishing peptides and shea butter to condition them at the same time.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fell
Verb
Using drone surveys to map the forest canopy, the team tested how views might shift if certain trees were felled, inching toward a location that felt both deliberate and deferential to the land.
—Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
With heavy snowfall and lashing winds, the storm is also expected to fell trees and down power lines.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 23 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Sometimes, the agentic web even does entire multi-task jobs for you in one fell swoop.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The mascara is made with rich black pigments that define lashes in one fell swoop, plus nourishing peptides and shea butter to condition them at the same time.
—Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell
Verb
-
Officials reported storm damage, downed power lines and trees and power outages.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
18 Mar. 2026
-
And not just from downing nootropic stacks and Chinese peptides, the latest tech-world fad drugs.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The commission agreed to allow Earthrise to mow the property only once between May and October, rather than five times as required by statute, as the company said more mowings could negatively affect native pollinators and habitats.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Mar. 2026
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Although forests store far more carbon overall in wood and soil, lawns can still play a supporting role by storing carbon mostly belowground, as long as maintenance inputs like fertilizer, mowing fuel, and irrigation are kept in check.—
Dr. Avishesh Neupane,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Mojtaba Khamenei replaced his father, Ali Khamenei, as supreme leader after the ayatollah was killed at the start of the war.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The World Health Organization and Lebanese health authorities said more than 100 of those killed were children.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Her government is to scrap a lethal arms exports ban in the coming weeks to promote Japan's defense industry and cooperation with the United States and other friendly nations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Mar. 2026
-
The Air Force now aims to translate those lessons into a portable, lethal system.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The loss of books is minor, almost trivial, in light of all the horrors and violence unleashed by this senseless war, but the potential loss of these books is a sad reminder that we’re all affected and implicated in America’s savage flailings.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
17 Mar. 2026
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Conan O'Brien hit almost every note on Sunday — savage, playful, heartfelt and dumb.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 443 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2%.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
-
The junior Cyclone can drop post dimes against double coverage, too.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One of his top aides, Saeed Ghasseminejad, has identified in interviews and on social media critical oil and gas infrastructure that could be destroyed in the war.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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But a staggering series of misfortunes – an arsonist destroyed her rental house; the private equity firm that owned the house still demanded two months’ rent and kept her security deposit; she was diagnosed with ovarian and breast cancer – forced her into tenuous housing situations.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The death toll was nearly double that of the previous figure given by authorities, who continued search and recovery efforts at the site of the deadly crash.—
Luis Jaime Acosta,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
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An 18-year-old woman from Kansas City is dead following a deadly crash in rural Platte County early Sunday morning.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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