fall meaning and definition

FALL noun

Definition of fall (noun)

1. the season when the leaves fall from the trees
   • "in the fall of 1973"
   • synonyms: autumn
2. a sudden drop from an upright position
   • "he had a nasty spill on the ice"
   • synonyms: spill, tumble
3. the lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve
   • "women have been blamed ever since the Fall"
4. a downward slope or bend
   • synonyms: declension, declination, decline, declivity, descent, downslope
   • antonym: acclivity
5. a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity
   • "a fall from virtue"
6. a sudden decline in strength or number or importance
   • "the fall of the House of Hapsburg"
   • synonyms: downfall
   • antonym: rise
7. a movement downward
   • "the rise and fall of the tides"
   • antonym: ascension
8. the act of surrendering (usually under agreed conditions)
   • "they were protected until the capitulation of the fort"
   • synonyms: capitulation, surrender
9. the time of day immediately following sunset
   • "he loved the twilight"; "they finished before the fall of night"
   • synonyms: crepuscle, crepuscule, dusk, evenfall, gloam, gloaming, nightfall, twilight
10. when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat
    • synonyms: pin
11. a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity
    • "it was a miracle that he survived the drop from that height"
    • synonyms: drop
12. a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity
    • "a drop of 57 points on the Dow Jones index"; "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"
    • synonyms: dip, drop, free fall

FALL verb

Definition of fall (verb)

1. descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
   • "The branch fell from the tree"; "The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse"
2. move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
   • "The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is falling"; "The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went up and then fell again"
   • synonyms: come down, descend, go down
   • antonym: ascend
3. pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind
   • "fall into a trap"; "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"
4. come under, be classified or included
   • "fall into a category"; "This comes under a new heading"
   • synonyms: come
5. fall from clouds
   • "rain, snow and sleet were falling"; "Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum"
   • synonyms: come down, precipitate
6. suffer defeat, failure, or ruin
   • "We must stand or fall"; "fall by the wayside"
7. die, as in battle or in a hunt
   • "Many soldiers fell at Verdun"; "Several deer have fallen to the same gun"; "The shooting victim fell dead"
8. touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly
   • "Light fell on her face"; "The sun shone on the fields"; "The light struck the golden necklace"; "A strange sound struck my ears"
   • synonyms: shine, strike
9. be captured
   • "The cities fell to the enemy"
10. occur at a specified time or place
    • "Christmas falls on a Monday this year"; "The accent falls on the first syllable"
11. decrease in size, extent, or range
    • "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
    • synonyms: decrease, diminish, lessen
    • antonym: increase
12. yield to temptation or sin
    • "Adam and Eve fell"
13. lose office or power
    • "The government fell overnight"; "The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen"
14. to be given by assignment or distribution
    • "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"
15. move in a specified direction
    • "The line of men fall forward"
16. be due
    • "payments fall on the 1st of the month"
17. lose one's chastity
    • "a fallen woman"
18. to be given by right or inheritance
    • "The estate fell to the oldest daughter"
19. come into the possession of
    • "The house accrued to the oldest son"
    • synonyms: accrue
20. fall to somebody by assignment or lot
    • "The task fell to me"; "It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims"
    • synonyms: light
21. be inherited by
    • "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead"
    • synonyms: devolve, pass, return
22. slope downward
    • "The hills around here fall towards the ocean"
23. lose an upright position suddenly
    • "The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table"; "Her hair fell across her forehead"
    • synonyms: fall down
24. drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
    • "She fell back in her chair"; "He fell to his knees"
25. fall or flow in a certain way
    • "This dress hangs well"; "Her long black hair flowed down her back"
    • synonyms: flow, hang
26. assume a disappointed or sad expression
    • "Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off"; "his crest fell"
27. be cast down
    • "his eyes fell"
28. come out; issue
    • "silly phrases fell from her mouth"
29. be born, used chiefly of lambs
    • "The lambs fell in the afternoon"
30. begin vigorously
    • "The prisoners fell to work right away"
31. go as if by falling
    • "Grief fell from our hearts"
32. come as if by falling
    • "Night fell"; "Silence fell"
    • synonyms: descend, settle