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Glite Dictionary
to fall open

to fall open

4 3.0
To move apart by itself suddenly because of surprise or gravity
  • phrasal verb
  • /fɔl ˈoʊpən/
translation icon : abrirse de golpe
  • My truck bed fell open and spilled my tools all over.
  • the mouth fell open
  • the jaw fell open
  • the door fell open

Examples

  • And it would just randomly fall open.

    Garden State (2004)

  • One of them had fallen open on the floor near my chair.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A small steel door fell open, and he pulled out a red telephone.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • My mother's mouth fell open, then she buried her head in her hands.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • You what? His mouth fell open as Rina explained what had happened.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • The door sagged, and as the assault continued, it broke loose and fell open.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • "Phillip had reached over for the subs, and now his mouth fell open.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Father's mouth fell open and his tongue flicked out and then back in, like an alert frog's.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • When she saw him, her eyes popped comically, and her mouth fell open in an audible gasp.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Everyone in the audience gasped as the magician's secret was revealed, causing their mouths to fall open in disbelief.

Synonyms

to open up
vsto fall open
64 2.5

Make something not closed, for example by removing a lock or cover

opens suddenly without deliberate action, often from surprise or gravity
to break open
vsto fall open
13 2.1

To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar

opens suddenly without forceful breaking, often involuntary
to fly open
vsto fall open
11 3.3

To open suddenly, often because of wind or force

opens suddenly without needing external force, often from surprise or gravity
to drop open
vsto fall open
3 3.7

To have the mouth or jaw suddenly fall open because of surprise

is used for both objects and body parts, not only body parts

Antonyms

to close
∞ 1.0

To shut something so it is not open

to slam shut
  • Informal
17 2.7

To close a door or window quickly and hard so it makes a loud noise

How Open

to gape
28 3.8
to fly open
11 3.3
to fall open
4 3.0
to pop
492 2.0

Surface Forms

fall open infinitive
falling open present participle
falls open third person singular
fell open past
fallen open past participle

Morphology

fall + open

The meaning is directly compositional: 'fall' (to move or drop downward) combined with 'open' (to become unclosed) yields an object becoming open as a result of dropping or by an involuntary movement. This motion→result construction is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Fall open gives a clear picture: something closed falls down and becomes open, like a person's jaw that drops in 'surprise' or a heavy book that slips from your hands and falls open. So, it means to open suddenly or without control, often because of 'surprise' or gravity.