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 of fell

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

Noun

There, Gordon Davison and Peter Lockey founded a small shop in 1966 to create exacting outdoor gear, testing it on northeast England’s rainswept fells and higher peaks abroad. —Jeff Moag, Outside, 24 Nov. 2025

Note: the biggest fell, its gradient and shape – geological cuvette, to be accurate – is most important in this scenario. —Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025

Verb

Purdy was the last pick of the draft but shone as a rookie after injuries felled both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. —Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025

While Healey, 54, was bogged down over issues like Canadian energy, trade, tourism and tariffs, as well as meetings with Canadian premiers, Wu, 40, was in Nova Scotia felling a huge Christmas tree. —Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 24 Nov. 2025

Adjective

Nuclear fusion, a scientific endeavor that would, if it were achieved in a scalable, widely-deployable fashion, solve the energy and climate crises in one fell swoop, receives less funding, annually, than peanut subsidies do in the United States. —Big Think, 28 Nov. 2025

Dry and straighten your hair in one fell swoop with this tool that doesn’t come with traditional hot plates. —Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025

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