to fall upon

5 3.6

To find something by chance

phrasal verb
/fɔl əˈpɒn/

: encontrar por casualidad

As I cleaned the attic, I fell upon a box full of childhood memories.

It means you ought to not just lower, but you need to dissolve the standards if if you're if you fall upon an achievement gap.

Examples

While I was out running around yesterday, I fell upon these fine china sandwich-sized plates.

Blog text (21)
Then my eyes fell upon the gun in the drawer.

Fiction book (2002)
Once I found out that this was out there, I fell upon it time and again.
His glance then fell upon the writing on the matchbook that he held in his hand.

Fiction book (1995)
Her words trailed off, her anger waned, and her glance fell upon me.

Fiction book (2002)
While taking a walk in the park, I suddenly fell upon an old friend I hadn't seen in years.
While exploring the library, I fell upon a book that sparked my interest immediately.

Synonyms

to find

vsto fall upon

∞ 1.0

To discover something while looking or by accident

is specifically about unexpected discovery rather than results of a search

to discover

vsto fall upon

∞ 1.0

To find out about something for the first time, often by chance

focuses on unexpected discovery as a common, not necessary, feature

to come across

vsto fall upon

244 2.6

To find something or someone by chance

describes unexpected finding generally rather than only casual encounters

to turn up

vsto fall upon

155 3.0

To find something while searching or by chance

puts more stress on accidental discovery rather than intentional finding

to come upon

vsto fall upon

50 2.2

To find something or someone by chance

is the same unexpected discovery often by chance rather than planning

to run across

vsto fall upon

43 2.7

Find something by chance while doing something else

is broader for any unexpected finding, not only brief meetings

to strike

vsto fall upon

Informal

37 2.8

To find something by chance

is similar but more neutral about the sudden feeling

to chance on

vsto fall upon

18 6.1

To find something or someone by accident while doing something else

focuses on chance discovery but may include mild surprise

to happen upon

vsto fall upon

15 4.9

Find a person or thing by chance

stresses finding by chance rather than through effort or search

to hit upon

vsto fall upon

7 4.9

To find or think of something by chance

is more about accidental finding of things rather than sudden ideas

to chance upon

vsto fall upon

3 5.1

Find someone or something by accident

emphasizes chance discovery as its central idea rather than searching

to light upon

vsto fall upon

2 5.6

To find something by chance

keeps the same accidental discovery sense but with common phrasing

Antonyms

to lose

∞ 1.1

Fail to understand or follow what someone says

to miss

281 1.1

To not experience something bad that others have

How Unexpected

to fall upon

5 3.6

to hit upon

7 4.9

to come across

244 2.6

to find

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

fall upon infinitive

falling upon present participle

falls upon third person singular

fell upon past

fallen upon past participle

Morphology

fall + upon

The meaning 'to find unexpectedly' is only loosely connected to the literal senses of 'fall' (to drop) and 'upon' (on/onto); the phrase relies on a metaphorical motion meaning 'come across' rather than a direct compositional reading. Because a B1 learner might infer the sense if they know similar verbs (e.g., 'come upon'/'come across') but cannot reliably derive it from the parts alone, the expression is best classified as partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrasal verb fall upon comes from a simple image: imagine you accidentally fall and land upon something you did not expect to find. That's why fall upon means 'to find or discover something unexpectedly'.