Definition of
Fall
- (noun, act) the act of surrendering (usually under agreed conditions)
- (noun, act) a sudden drop from an upright position
- (noun, act) a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity
- (noun, attribute) a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity
there was a drop in pressure in the pulmonary artery
a dip in prices
when that became known the price of their stock went into free fall - (noun, event) a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity
- (noun, event) a movement downward
- (noun, event) a sudden decline in strength or number or importance
- (noun, event) when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat
- (noun, event) the lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve
- (noun, object) a downward slope or bend
- (noun, time) the time of day immediately following sunset
they finished before the fall of night - (noun, time) the season when the leaves fall from the trees
- (verb, change) pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind
She fell ill
They fell out of favor
Fall in love
fall asleep
fall prey to an imposter
fall into a strange way of thinking
she fell to pieces after she lost her work - (verb, change) decrease in size, extent, or range
The cabin pressure fell dramatically
her weight fell to under a hundred pounds
his voice fell to a whisper - (verb, change) come as if by falling
Silence fell - (verb, change) go as if by falling
- (verb, change) occur at a specified time or place
The accent falls on the first syllable - (verb, change) begin vigorously
- (verb, change) be born, used chiefly of lambs
- (verb, change) come out; issue
- (verb, change) be cast down
- (verb, change) assume a disappointed or sad expression
his crest fell - (verb, contact) fall or flow in a certain way
Her long black hair flowed down her back - (verb, motion) move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
The barometer is falling
The curtain fell on the diva
Her hand went up and then fell again - (verb, motion) descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse - (verb, motion) drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
He fell to his knees - (verb, motion) lose an upright position suddenly
Her hair fell across her forehead - (verb, motion) slope downward
- (verb, motion) move in a specified direction
- (verb, possession) be inherited by
The land returned to the family
The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead - (verb, possession) fall to somebody by assignment or lot
It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims - (verb, possession) come into the possession of
- (verb, possession) be captured
- (verb, possession) to be given by assignment or distribution
The onus fell on us
The pressure to succeed fell on the youngest student - (verb, possession) to be given by right or inheritance
- (verb, social) lose office or power
The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen - (verb, social) suffer defeat, failure, or ruin
fall by the wayside - (verb, social) yield to temptation or sin
- (verb, social) lose one's chastity
- (verb, stative) touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly
The sun shone on the fields
The light struck the golden necklace
A strange sound struck my ears - (verb, stative) die, as in battle or in a hunt
Several deer have fallen to the same gun
The shooting victim fell dead - (verb, stative) be due
- (verb, stative) come under, be classified or included
This comes under a new heading - (verb, weather) fall from clouds
Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum
via WordNet, Princeton University
Synonyms of Fall
accrue, autumn, capitulation, come, come down, crepuscle, crepuscule, declension, declination, decline, declivity, decrease, descend, descent, devolve, diminish, dip, downfall, downslope, drop, dusk, evenfall, fall down, flow, free fall, gloam, gloaming, go down, hang, lessen, light, nightfall, pass, pin, precipitate, return, settle, shine, spill, strike, surrender, tumble, twilight
Antonyms of Fall
Alternate forms of Fall
Hyponyms: abate, abseil, alight, anticlimax, avalanche, boil down, break, cascade, cascade down, climb down, concentrate, contract, correct, correction, crash, de-escalate, decelerate, decline, decoct, decrescendo, deflate, depreciate, devaluate, devalue, die away, dismount, dive, downhill, drip, drop, drop off, dwindle, dwindle away, dwindle down, ease off, ease up, fall, fall in love, flag, flop, fly, free fall, get down, get off, go down, go under, hail, let up, light, night, pitch, plop, plunge, plunk, pounce, pratfall, precipitate, precipitation, prolapse, rain, rain down, rappel, reduce, remit, retard, roll down, rope down, set, settle, shorten, shrink, shrivel, shrivel up, sink, slack, slack off, slacken off, sleet, slow, slow down, slow up, slump, snow, spat, steep, subside, swoop, takedown, taper, thin out, topple, tumble, undervalue, unhorse, vanish, vaporize, voltage drop, wane, weaken, wipeout, wither
Hypernyms: be, be born, begin, buy the farm, cash in one's chips, change, change hands, change magnitude, change of location, change owners, change posture, change state, choke, come, come about, come forth, come out, commence, conk, croak, decease, decrease, decrement, descent, devolve, die, disappear, drop dead, egress, emerge, exit, expire, fail, fall, fall out, get, get down, give-up the ghost, go, go away, go forth, go on, go wrong, gravitation, hap, happen, hour, incline, issue, kick the bucket, leave office, locomote, loss, miscarry, move, occur, pass, pass away, pass off, perish, pitch, pop off, quit, resign, return, season, set about, set out, side, sin, sinning, slip, slope, snuff it, start, start out, step down, take place, time of day, time of year, transgress, travel, trespass, trip, triumph, turn, vanish, victory, weakening, yield
Origin of the word Fall
- O.E. feallan (class VII strong verb; past tense feoll, pp. feallen), from P.Gmc. *fallanan (cf. O.N. falla, O.H.G. fallan), from PIE base *phol- "to fall" (cf. Armenian p'ul "downfall," Lith. puola "to fall," O.Prus. aupallai "finds," lit. "falls upon"). Noun sense of "autumn" (now only in U.S.) is 1660s, sho… more
via Online Etymology Dictionary, ©2001 Douglas Harper