to fall around
1
4.2
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
revolotear
- But if it's spinning, it falls around, right?
Examples
-
He fell around in the grass, giggling as his friends tickled him.
-
Prince wasn't even sure it was real until he found himself on a battlefield, explosions rocking his vision as the dead and dying fell around him.
Blog text (23) -
The children laughed and fell around in the snow, enjoying their winter break.
-
During the party, we all fell around dancing and playing games until it was late.
Synonyms
217
1.1
To play and move quickly in different directions while making noise
88
2.9
To fall or roll suddenly, often turning over
77
1.0
To move by light hops in a playful way
46
3.6
Act in a silly, playful way instead of working
15
4.1
To move with high, lively steps in a playful way
8
3.3
To play and move about happily
8
2.8
To run and play in a lively, energetic way
Feel so amused that you fall over and move on the floor
Antonyms
How Playful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to move about, tumble, or play in a carefree way' is directly derivable from combining 'fall' (to drop/tumble) with 'around' (moving about), so the composite evokes repeated or dispersed falling/moving. This motion + particle pattern is a straightforward compositional pattern in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Fall around may come from the image of people or animals really fall and roll around in fun. Imagine friends laughing so hard they tumble on the ground and play; that's why it now means 'to move about or play in a carefree or happy way'.