Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
skyfall

skyfall

8.9
A sudden fall of things from the sky like hail or rocks
  • noun
translation icon : caída del cielo

Examples

  • Eric Osiakwan, one of the first internet entrepreneurs in Ghana, says: "One of my nightmares is that this culture that is building up over the continent will skyfall because there are no angel investors."

    Blog text (12)

  • During the storm, there was a sudden skyfall of heavy rain that flooded the streets.

  • After the meteor shower, many people reported witnessing a spectacular skyfall of shooting stars.

  • The scientists studied the debris from the skyfall that landed in the fields after the meteorite impact.

Synonyms

falling
vsskyfall
111 1.1

An act of dropping from a higher place

is used for sudden dramatic events where things come down from the sky
drop
vsskyfall
45 1.0

A sudden fall from a higher place to a lower place

is specific to sudden dramatic falls occurring from the sky
downpour
vsskyfall
24 2.7

A heavy and sudden fall of rain

is broader, covering sudden dramatic falls of many things from the sky
ashfall
vsskyfall
6.7

A layer of ash that falls from the air and covers the ground, often after a volcano erupts

is broader, referring to sudden dramatic falls of various materials from the sky
precipitation
vsskyfall
  • Literature
8.1

A quick fall from a high place

is an eventful instance of such falling that happens from the sky

How Dramatic

skyfall
8.9
storm
∞ 1.0
downpour
24 2.7
shower
162 1.0
to drizzle
7 1.0

Surface Forms

skyfall singular
skyfalls plural

Morphology

skyfall = sky + fall (transparent) = sky + fall

A straightforward compound whose meaning ('something falling from the sky') is directly inferable from 'sky' + 'fall'.

Etymology

Skyfall is made from sky and fall, so it literally means 'fall from the sky'. That strong image of things suddenly dropping from above helps you remember it means a sudden, dramatic event when rain, hail, meteors, or debris fall from the sky.