fell

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈfel 

1

: skin, hide, pelt

2

: a thin tough membrane covering a carcass directly under the hide

fell

2 of 5

verb

felled; felling; fells

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut, knock, or bring down

fell a tree

b

: kill

Her father was felled by a heart attack.

2

: to sew (a seam) by folding one raw edge under the other and sewing flat on the wrong side

fellable

ˈfe-lə-bəl 

adjective

feller noun

fell

3 of 5

past tense of fall

fell

4 of 5

adjective

1

a

: fierce, cruel, terrible

b

: sinister, malevolent

a fell purpose

c

: very destructive : deadly

a fell disease

2

Scotland : sharp, pungent

fellness noun

fell

5 of 5

noun

dialectal British

: a high barren field or moor

Synonyms

Verb

• down
• drop
• hit
• floor

Adjective

• lethal
• deadly
• fatal
• infectious

Examples of fell in a Sentence

Verb

using an ax to fell a tree

He's strong enough to fell an ox.

Adjective

planning for the distribution of resources in case of some fell event

war crimes committed by a fell and barbarous enemy

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Presidents before Trump have been felled by the Middle East, and Trump has had some successes with Ukraine, most notably the signing of a mineral rights deal with Kyiv. —Rema Rahman - 06, The Hill, 13 June 2025

In 2016, police investigators confirmed that a 300-meter-high (nearly 1,000 feet) telecommunications mast in southwestern Sweden was intentionally felled, leaving around 85,000 households without TV broadcasts and affecting emergency announcements. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

Adjective

With just about $2.8 billion dollars in back payments to be paid to former athletes since 2016 and an annual revenue-sharing cap up to $20.5 million dollars accessible to Division I college athletes starting on July 1, the future of college sports changed in one fell swoop. —Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

After the Park District was awarded a $2.8 million state grant for the renovations, officials decided to finish the whole project in one fell swoop, Leiner said. —Phil Rockrohr, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025

Noun

The Peaks Hikers swarm the Lake District in the mass millions every year for its jaw-dropping 214 peaks (otherwise known as fells) and dramatic landscapes. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Sixty years later, the 214 fells featured in the pictorial guides are now known as the Wainwrights, and walkers collect them like Coloradans collect fourteeners. —Steven Potter, Outside Online, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German fel skin, Latin pellis

Verb

Middle English, from Old English fellan; akin to Old English feallan to fall — more at fall

Adjective

Middle English fel, from Anglo-French — more at felon

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse fell, fjall mountain; akin to Old High German felis rock

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fell

• fell into the habit
• fell silent
• in/at one fell swoop

Rhymes for fell

• bel
• belle
• cel
• cell
• dell
• dwell
• el
• ell
• fel
• gel
• gell
• jell

Kids Definition

fell

1 of 3 verb

ˈfel 

1

a

: to cut, beat, or knock down

fell trees

b

: kill entry 1 sense 1

2

: to sew (a seam) by folding one edge under the other

fell

2 of 3

past of fall entry 1

fell

3 of 3 adjective

: fierce sense 1, cruel

also : deadly entry 1 sense 1, deadly entry 1 sense 2a

Etymology

Verb

Old English fellan "to knock down"

Adjective

Middle English fel "fierce, terrible," from early French fel (same meaning), from fel, felon "villain, evildoer" — related to felon