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
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Briefly Captain Jared Spurgeon returned to practice after being felled this week by an illness.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 21 Feb. 2025
Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
Raised beds and planter boxes solve a lot of common gardening problems in one fell swoop.
—Architectural Digest, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fell
Verb
More news: Oldest Manager in MLB Bans Players From Using Cell Phones
Starting catcher Tyler Stephenson was recently felled by an oblique strain that will sideline him for weeks, if not months, into the regular season.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Briefly Captain Jared Spurgeon returned to practice after being felled this week by an illness.
—John Shipley, Twin Cities, 21 Feb. 2025
Adjective
In one fell swoop, Washington has severely restricted international commerce.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
Raised beds and planter boxes solve a lot of common gardening problems in one fell swoop.
—Architectural Digest, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fell
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell
Verb
-
Pakistan responded by aerial raids, downed an Indian military aircraft and captured an Indian pilot, who was later released.—
Time,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
-
One tree was cut in the 500 block of North Broadway; three were sawed near 1550 W. 8th St.; five were downed near 350 S. Grand Ave.; three were cut near 717 W. Temple St.; and one was taken out near 300 Treadwell St., according to LAPD officials.—
Grace Toohey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
In lawns, take care not to mow too low, as this opens the canopy to seed establishment.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Mind you, traditional maintenance crews still mow the fairways and greens at this club.—
Scott Kramer,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Crown prosecutors allege Patterson deliberately served lethal mushrooms to kill her lunch guests; her defense counsel claims the deaths were a tragic accident.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
-
One participant, Thomas Bragg, discovered how to talk about his friendship with Eddie Lama, who was killed in action.—
Made by History,
Time,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Here’s what the bone analysis revealed about the man and how the researchers determined what was behind the lethal bite markings.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2025
-
James Osgood will be executed by lethal injection just after 6 p.m. Thursday at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Alabama.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As savage Arctic cold was getting ready to surge south across North America, vivid imagery based on data from weather models showed us what was going to happen.—
Tom Yulsman,
Discover Magazine,
27 Dec. 2022
-
The 2023 grand marshal is former Arizona Democratic congresswoman Gabby Giffords, gravely wounded in a savage mass shooting in 2011 that also killed six people.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Dec. 2022
Verb
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Individual contracts can be selected prior to dropping into a match, and are the game’s primary form of long-term progression, allowing for permanent upgrades that make each run a little more meaningful.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2025
-
Skeptics have countered that dropping routine crash data will blunt an early-warning system and that broad confidentiality requests could wall off crucial context when something goes wrong.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
2 May 2025
Verb
-
To allow these courts to be destroyed to make pickleball courts is just wrong.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
3 May 2025
-
How choice destroyed the milk industry But milk’s bursts in popularity have been conspicuously conditional, ebbing and flowing with the economy and government support.—
HubSpot,
HubSpot,
2 May 2025
Adjective
-
As tensions between India and Pakistan reach a boiling point following a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly offered Tehran's assistance in mediating the crisis.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Apr. 2025
-
However, fewer than five minutes into Casten’s address, a protester with a megaphone stood up and shouted frustrations about U.S. military assistance to Israel in its deadly attacks on Gaza residents during their war with Hamas.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fell.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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