Definition Definition

fall - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'fall' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Fall [ n.]
- The act of falling; a dropping or descending be the force of gravity; descent; as, a fall from a horse, or from the yard of ship.
- The act of dropping or tumbling from an erect posture; as, he was walking on ice, and had a fall.
- Death; destruction; overthrow; ruin.
- Downfall; degradation; loss of greatness or office; termination of greatness, power, or dominion; ruin; overthrow; as, the fall of the Roman empire.
- The surrender of a besieged fortress or town ; as, the fall of Sebastopol.
- Diminution or decrease in price or value; depreciation; as, the fall of prices; the fall of rents.
- A sinking of tone; cadence; as, the fall of the voice at the close of a sentence.
- Declivity; the descent of land or a hill; a slope.
- Descent of water; a cascade; a cataract; a rush of water down a precipice or steep; -- usually in the plural, sometimes in the singular; as, the falls of Niagara.
- The discharge of a river or current of water into the ocean, or into a lake or pond; as, the fall of the Po into the Gulf of Venice.
- Extent of descent; the distance which anything falls; as, the water of a stream has a fall of five feet.
- The season when leaves fall from trees; autumn.
- That which falls; a falling; as, a fall of rain; a heavy fall of snow.
- The act of felling or cutting down.
- Lapse or declension from innocence or goodness. Specifically: The first apostasy; the act of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit; also, the apostasy of the rebellious angels.
- Formerly, a kind of ruff or band for the neck; a falling band; a faule.
- That part (as one of the ropes) of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.
2 . Fall [ v. t.]
- To Descend, either suddenly or gradually; particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer.
- To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees.
- To find a final outlet; to discharge its waters; to empty; -- with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.
- To become prostrate and dead; to die; especially, to die by violence, as in battle.
- To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the wind falls.
- To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; -- said of the young of certain animals.
- To decline in power, glory, wealth, or importance; to become insignificant; to lose rank or position; to decline in weight, value, price etc.; to become less; as, the falls; stocks fell two points.
- To be overthrown or captured; to be destroyed.
- To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from the faith; to apostatize; to sin.
- To become insnared or embarrassed; to be entrapped; to be worse off than before; asm to fall into error; to fall into difficulties.
- To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; -- said of the countenance.
- To sink; to languish; to become feeble or faint; as, our spirits rise and fall with our fortunes.
- To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively, into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall asleep; to fall into a passion; to fall in love; to fall into temptation.
- To happen; to to come to pass; to light; to befall; to issue; to terminate.
- To come; to occur; to arrive.
- To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence; to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.
- To pass or be transferred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.
- To belong or appertain.
- To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as, an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur fell from him.
- To let fall; to drop.
- To sink; to depress; as, to fall the voice.
- To diminish; to lessen or lower.
- To bring forth; as, to fall lambs.
- To fell; to cut down; as, to fall a tree.

Meaning of 'fall' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . fall [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity
Example in sentence:
  • a dip in prices;
  • a drop of 57 points on the Dow Jones index;
  • there was a drop in pressure in the pulmonary artery;
  • when that became known the price of their stock went into free fall
Meaning (2):
- a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity
Example in sentence:
  • a fall from virtue
Meaning (3):
- a sudden drop from an upright position
Example in sentence:
  • he had a nasty spill on the ice
Meaning (4):
- the time of day immediately following sunset
Example in sentence:
  • he loved the twilight;
  • they finished before the fall of night
Meaning (5):
- the season when the leaves fall from the trees
Example in sentence:
  • in the fall of 1973
Meaning (6):
- a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity
Example in sentence:
  • it was a miracle that he survived the drop from that height
Meaning (7):
- a sudden decline in strength or number or importance
Example in sentence:
  • the fall of the House of Hapsburg
Meaning (8):
- a movement downward
Example in sentence:
  • the rise and fall of the tides
Meaning (9):
- the act of surrendering (usually under agreed conditions)
Example in sentence:
  • they were protected until the capitulation of the fort
Meaning (10):
- the lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve
Example in sentence:
  • women have been blamed ever since the Fall
11 . fall [ v]
Meaning (11):
- lose one's chastity
Example in sentence:
  • a fallen woman
Meaning (12):
- touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly
Example in sentence:
  • A strange sound struck my ears;
  • Light fell on her face;
  • The light struck the golden necklace;
  • The sun shone on the fields
Meaning (13):
- yield to temptation or sin
Example in sentence:
  • Adam and Eve fell
Meaning (14):
- occur at a specified time or place
Example in sentence:
  • Christmas falls on a Monday this year;
  • The accent falls on the first syllable
Meaning (15):
- pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind
Example in sentence:
  • fall asleep;
  • Fall in love;
  • fall into a strange way of thinking;
  • fall into a trap;
  • fall prey to an imposter;
  • She fell ill;
  • she fell to pieces after she lost her work;
  • They fell out of favor
Meaning (16):
- suffer defeat, failure, or ruin
Example in sentence:
  • fall by the wayside;
  • We must stand or fall
Meaning (17):
- come under, be classified or included
Example in sentence:
  • fall into a category;
  • This comes under a new heading
Meaning (18):
- go as if by falling
Example in sentence:
  • Grief fell from our hearts
Meaning (19):
- drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
Example in sentence:
  • He fell to his knees;
  • She fell back in her chair
Meaning (20):
- assume a disappointed or sad expression
Example in sentence:
  • Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off;
  • his crest fell
Meaning (21):
- lose an upright position suddenly
Example in sentence:
  • Her hair fell across her forehead;
  • The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table
Meaning (22):
- move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
Example in sentence:
  • Her hand went up and then fell again;
  • The barometer is falling;
  • The curtain fell on the diva;
  • The temperature is going down
Meaning (23):
- fall or flow in a certain way
Example in sentence:
  • Her long black hair flowed down her back;
  • This dress hangs well
Meaning (24):
- decrease in size, extent, or range
Example in sentence:
  • her weight fell to under a hundred pounds;
  • his voice fell to a whisper;
  • The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester;
  • The cabin pressure fell dramatically
Meaning (25):
- be cast down
Example in sentence:
  • his eyes fell
Meaning (26):
- fall to somebody by assignment or lot
Example in sentence:
  • It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims;
  • The task fell to me
Meaning (27):
- die, as in battle or in a hunt
Example in sentence:
  • Many soldiers fell at Verdun;
  • Several deer have fallen to the same gun;
  • The shooting victim fell dead
Meaning (28):
- come as if by falling
Example in sentence:
  • Night fell;
  • Silence fell
Meaning (29):
- be due
Example in sentence:
  • payments fall on the 1st of the month
Meaning (30):
- fall from clouds
Example in sentence:
  • rain, snow and sleet were falling;
  • Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum
Meaning (31):
- come out; issue
Example in sentence:
  • silly phrases fell from her mouth
Meaning (32):
- descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
Example in sentence:
  • The branch fell from the tree;
  • The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse
Meaning (33):
- be captured
Example in sentence:
  • The cities fell to the enemy
Meaning (34):
- be inherited by
Example in sentence:
  • The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead;
  • The estate fell to my sister;
  • The land returned to the family
Meaning (35):
- to be given by right or inheritance
Example in sentence:
  • The estate fell to the oldest daughter
Meaning (36):
- lose office or power
Example in sentence:
  • The government fell overnight;
  • The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen
Meaning (37):
- slope downward
Example in sentence:
  • The hills around here fall towards the ocean
Meaning (38):
- come into the possession of
Example in sentence:
  • The house accrued to the oldest son
Meaning (39):
- be born, used chiefly of lambs
Example in sentence:
  • The lambs fell in the afternoon
Meaning (40):
- move in a specified direction
Example in sentence:
  • The line of men fall forward
Meaning (41):
- to be given by assignment or distribution
Example in sentence:
  • The most difficult task fell on the youngest member of the team;
  • The onus fell on us;
  • The pressure to succeed fell on the youngest student
Meaning (42):
- begin vigorously
Example in sentence:
  • The prisoners fell to work right away

Nearby Words:

falanaka falcade falcate falcated falcation falcer falchion falcidian falciform falcon

See 'fall' also in:

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