Fall

76 9.7

An event in the Bible when Adam and Eve disobey God and bring sin into the world

noun
/fɔl/

Literature

: caída

Eden is dragging us back through the Fall all over again.
the Fall of man
myth of the Fall
creation and the Fall

Yes, but the Bible teaches that the fall of Adam and Eve was cosmological.

Examples

Yes, but the Bible teaches that the fall of Adam and Eve was cosmological.

Danny Jones
Frank: Well, we were the victims of Adam's fall, and we were being punished for Adam.

Academic text (2017)
Man was a political animal, even in the Fall, even before the Fall.

Academic text (1999)
From the creation of this beautiful world of ours to the fall of mankind.

Maximum Overdrive (1986)
Saint Augustine held that before the Fall, Adam controlled his procreative power.
The revelation of the Fall and of diabolical activity explains distressing aspects of the human condition.

Academic text (2008)
One such story is the biblical myth of the Fall, which provides an interesting addendum to the Gilpin poem.

Academic text (2008)
In Judeo-Christian tradition, humanity began its troubled journey with the event known as the Fall.
The Fall refers to the moment when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, leading to sin entering the world.
According to religious teachings, the Fall represents the pivotal point in history when humans became morally flawed.

Synonyms

Fall of man

vsFall

Literature

9.9

A Christian belief that people lose their innocence when they disobey God

is framed more broadly across both Jewish and Christian traditions

Idioms

to fall into the wrong hands

17 6.3

To become available to people who might use it to harm others

to fall by the wayside

Informal

11 6.5

Stop taking part or trying because of problems

fall from grace

8 6.6

A loss of status and respect after wrongdoing

to let the chips fall where they may

Informal

6 7.8

To accept what happens and not try to change the result

to fall on one's face

Informal

6 7.6

To fail badly and embarrass yourself in front of other people

to fall flat on one's face

Informal

5 7.1

To fail completely and feel embarrassed in front of others

to fall on one's sword

Formal

4 8.4

To accept blame or quit a job to protect other people

to fall into one's lap

Informal

4 6.4

To get something good without trying or expecting it

to fall from grace

3 7.0

To begin behaving badly again and lose people's respect

to fall between the cracks

Informal

2 7.4

Not get noticed or dealt with

the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Informal

1 5.4

Children often look and behave like their parents

to fall off one's chair

Informal

1 6.4

To react strongly because something is very funny or surprising

to fall off the turnip truck

Informal

1 9.9

To not be easily fooled because you have experience

to fall into someone's lap

Informal

1 6.5

To get something good without effort or planning

to fall on one's arse

Vulgar

1 9.1

To lose your balance and land on your backside in an awkward or embarrassing way

to fall apart like a house of cards

Informal

6.5

Suddenly fail completely because it is weak or badly built

to fall asleep in the Lord

Formal

9.9

To die as a Christian who trusts in God and expects life after death

to fall at the last hurdle

Informal

6.7

Fail at the final stage after earlier success

to fall from the ugly stick

Offensive

9.9

To look much less attractive after a sudden change

to fall between two stools

8.5

Fail to reach either goal because you try to do both

to fall off a truck

NSFW

9.9

Things sold or bought secretly because they were stolen

to fall off one's perch

9.3

To die or suddenly lose an important position

to fall off the back of a lorry

NSFW

9.9

To get things someone probably stole and sold cheaply

to fall in the sack

Informal

8.8

To go to bed or sleep

to fall on a grenade

8.2

Accept a big risk to protect other people

fall seven times, stand up eight

9.0

To keep trying after many failures no matter how often you fail

to fall on someone's neck

7.2

Hug someone tightly because you feel very happy or relieved

until the wheels fall off

Informal

8.6

Continue doing something with energy until you can no longer

Compounds

fall guy

Informal

19 7.6

A person who others blame so they avoid punishment

free fall

Specialized

6 4.0

Movement of something downwards while only gravity pulls it

free fall

6 4.6

A sudden large drop in value, often of stocks or prices

curtain fall

1 6.0

A moment when a play or show ends and the curtain comes down

Fall of Man

Literature

1 8.9

An event in the Bible when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, lost their innocence, and left the Garden

fall armyworm

Specialized

8.6

A caterpillar that eats and destroys corn and other grass crops

fall girl

Offensive

9.2

A woman who is easily tricked and often blamed for other people's mistakes

fall cankerworm

Specialized

9.9

A green or brown caterpillar with white stripes that eats tree leaves in autumn

fall dandelion

8.1

A small European plant with yellow flowers that blooms in the fall and is now common in North America

fall equinox

6.0

The time when day and night are almost the same length, marking the start of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere

Fall of man

Literature

9.9

A Christian belief that people lose their innocence when they disobey God

fall webworm

Specialized

9.9

A caterpillar that lives in large silk nests on tree branches and eats the leaves in late summer and fall

fall-blooming

4.7

A plant that produces flowers in autumn

fall-blooming hydrangea

8.3

A bush that loses its leaves and has large cone-shaped flowers in fall

fall-board

9.3

A cover that folds down to protect piano keys when not played

Surface Forms

Fall singular

Falls plural

Etymology

Fall comes from the everyday verb fall, which means 'to drop down' or 'move from a higher place to a lower one'. So the Fall is the idea of the first great 'fall' of humanity — a move from a good state into sin, like 'falling' away from God's favor.