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Glite Dictionary
rockfall

rockfall

1 4.6
A sudden fall of rocks from a cliff or steep slope
  • noun
  • /ˈrɑkˌfɔl/
translation icon : desprendimiento de rocas
  • He was shoved in the back, and he tumbled down the rockfall, starting a small avalanche.
  • rockfall would crush
  • hit by rockfall
  • rockfalls can be triggered

Examples

  • If he was to continue to work safely without being crushed by a rockfall, Marquez had no choice but to blast it away.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Tessa climbed partway up the rockfall and searched shadowed cracks for the particular silver-blue lichen Dalka wanted.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • I wanted to show her the rockfall of Whitewall Mountain, and we did get a nice look at it despite the weather.

    Blog text (20)

  • Suddenly, there was a clatter of rockfall.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The rockfall that trapped the creature centuries ago turned out to be a refuge, as well as a prison.

    The Lair of the White Worm (1988)

  • The stepmother got crushed in a rockfall.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • To account for constant erosion and rockfall, Alpine archaeologists must search wide and deep for artifacts.

    Academic text (2007)

  • They had found the nearest passes blocked by deep snow and rockfalls.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Just as a signpost warns of rockfalls near a cliff edge, the standing stones were meant to mark a spot of danger.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The hikers were warned to stay clear of the steep cliffs to avoid a dangerous rockfall.

Synonyms

slide
vsrockfall
42 3.4

A large mass of earth, rock, or snow moving down a slope

is about rocks dropping from heights rather than broad material movements
landslide
vsrockfall
  • Specialized
23 3.3

A large mass of earth and rock that moves down a hill or cliff

focuses on rocks dropping from a cliff rather than mixed earth and debris
rockslide
vsrockfall
3 3.5

A sudden fall of many rocks down a slope that can block roads

focuses on rocks dropping freely from a steep face rather than a mass movement
downslide
vsrockfall
6.5

A sudden slide of earth or rocks down a slope

focuses on rocks dropping individually rather than broad slope movement
landslip
vsrockfall
  • UK
7.5

A mass of earth and rock that moves down a slope often suddenly

describes rocks dropping from a steep face rather than general slope movement

How Large

landslide
  • Specialized
23 3.3
rockslide
3 3.5
rockfall
1 4.6

Surface Forms

rockfall singular
rockfalls plural

Morphology

rockfall = rock + fall (transparent) = rock + fall

The meaning is directly the event or mass of rocks falling; the components combine predictably for learners.

Etymology

Rockfall is simply rock ('stone') + fall ('to drop'), so it paints the clear picture of stones dropping down a slope; that's why rockfall means a sudden movement or mass of rocks falling down a cliff or steep slope.