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fall

fall

191 1.0
A drop from a higher to a lower level
  • noun
  • /fɔl/
translation icon : caída
  • Last week, my grandmother had a serious fall down the stairs and had to go to the hospital.
  • free fall
  • fall-related injury
  • fall risk

My mom had a fall, like, four years ago.

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Examples

Synonyms

landing
vsfall
351 2.3

Coming down to a surface from the air or sea

refers to downward movement generally, not only planned arrivals onto surfaces
falling
vsfall
111 1.1

An act of dropping from a higher place

is the general label for that movement rather than a specific instance
descent
vsfall
89 3.7

A movement down from a higher place to a lower place or a slope that goes down

focuses on the movement itself rather than the place or slope
tumble
vsfall
46 2.9

A rolling fall or gymnastic turn of the body

covers any downward movement without implying rolling or tumbling
drop
vsfall
45 1.0

A sudden fall from a higher place to a lower place

is broader, covering both sudden and non sudden downward movements
plunge
vsfall
20 4.0

A steep sudden fall from a higher to a lower level

is more general and includes gentler or slower downward movements
spill
vsfall
13 1.7

A sudden fall when someone loses balance while moving

is the wider movement term not limited to balance or motion accidents
nosedive
vsfall
4 5.6

A sudden steep fall of a plane with its front pointing down

is the broad downward movement term not restricted to aircraft situations
droppage
vsfall
7.9

An event when something falls or is let go and hits the ground

is the simple term for the same downward movement without process focus
dropping
vsfall
1.1

A thing that falls down freely because of gravity

can include controlled or uncontrolled movements not only free drops
lowering
vsfall
2.5

To move something to a lower position

is neutral about effort and covers accidental as well as deliberate moves

Antonyms

125 2.4

A small upward slope in land or a surface

12 4.1

Raising someone to a higher job or rank

Idioms

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

11 6.5

Stop taking part or trying because of problems

A loss of status and respect after wrongdoing

To accept what happens and not try to change the result

6 7.6

To fail badly and embarrass yourself in front of other people

To fail completely and feel embarrassed in front of others

4 8.4

To accept blame or quit a job to protect other people

4 6.4

To get something good without trying or expecting it

To begin behaving badly again and lose people's respect

Not get noticed or dealt with

Children often look and behave like their parents

1 6.4

To react strongly because something is very funny or surprising

To not be easily fooled because you have experience

To get something good without effort or planning

1 9.1

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

Suddenly fail completely because it is weak or badly built

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

Fail at the final stage after earlier success

To look much less attractive after a sudden change

Fail to reach either goal because you try to do both

Things sold or bought secretly because they were stolen

To die or suddenly lose an important position

To get things someone probably stole and sold cheaply

8.8

To go to bed or sleep

Accept a big risk to protect other people

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

Hug someone tightly because you feel very happy or relieved

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

6 4.6

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

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

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

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

4.7

A plant that produces flowers in autumn

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

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

How Dramatic

collapse
350 4.1
plunge
20 4.0
fall
191 1.0
tumble
46 2.9
drop
45 1.0

Surface Forms

fall singular
falls plural

Etymology

Fall as a noun comes from the same old English feallan meaning 'to fall', used for the act of dropping. So a fall is the movement of coming down from higher to lower.