(~s, ~ing, fell, ~en)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
If someone or something ~s, they move quickly downwards onto or towards the ground, by accident or because of a natural force.
Her father fell into the sea after a massive heart attack...
Bombs fell in the town...
I ought to seal the boxes up. I don’t want the books ~ing out...
Twenty people were injured by ~ing masonry.
VERB: V prep, V, V out/off , V-ing
•
Fall is also a noun.
The helmets are designed to withstand impacts equivalent to a ~ from a bicycle.
N-COUNT: oft N from n
2.
If a person or structure that is standing somewhere ~s, they move from their upright position, so that they are then lying on the ground.
The woman gripped the shoulders of her man to stop herself from ~ing...
We watched buildings ~ on top of people and pets...
He lost his balance and fell backwards.
VERB: V, V prep/adv, V prep/adv
•
Fall is also a noun.
Mrs Briscoe had a bad ~ last week.
N-COUNT
•
Fall down means the same as ~ .
I hit him so hard he fell down...
Children jumped from upper floors as the building fell down around them.
PHRASAL VERB: V P, V P
~en
A number of roads have been blocked by ~en trees.
ADJ: ADJ n
3.
When rain or snow ~s, it comes down from the sky.
Winds reached up to 100mph in some places with an inch of rain ~ing within 15 minutes.
VERB: V
•
Fall is also a noun.
One night there was a heavy ~ of snow.
N-COUNT: N of n
see also rain~ , snow~
4.
If you ~ somewhere, you allow yourself to drop there in a hurried or disorganized way, often because you are very tired.
Totally exhausted, he tore his clothes off and fell into bed...
VERB: V prep
5.
If something ~s, it decreases in amount, value, or strength.
Output will ~ by 6%...
Her weight fell to under seven stones...
Between July and August, oil product prices fell 0.2 per cent...
The number of prosecutions has stayed static and the rate of convictions has ~en.
...a time of ~ing living standards and emerging mass unemployment.
= drop
? rise
VERB: V by n, V to/from n, V amount, V, V-ing
•
Fall is also a noun.
There was a sharp ~ in the value of the pound.
N-COUNT: usu sing
6.
If a powerful or successful person ~s, they suddenly lose their power or position.
There’s a danger of the government ~ing because it will lose its majority...
The moment Mrs Thatcher fell from power has left a lasting imprint on the world’s memory.
VERB: V, V from n
•
Fall is also a noun.
Following the ~ of the military dictator in March, the country has had a civilian government...
? rise
N-SING: with poss
7.
If a place ~s in a war or election, an enemy army or a different political party takes control of it.
Croatian army troops retreated from northern Bosnia and the area fell to the Serbs...
With the announcement ‘Paphos has ~en!’ a cheer went up from the assembled soldiers.
VERB: V to n, V
•
Fall is also a noun.
...the ~ of Rome.
N-SING: usu N of n
8.
If someone ~s in battle, they are killed. (LITERARY)
Another wave of troops followed the first, running past those who had ~en.
VERB: V
9.
You can use ~ to show that someone or something passes into another state. For example, if someone ~s ill, they become ill, and if something ~s into disrepair, it is then in a state of disrepair.
It is almost impossible to visit Florida without ~ing in love with the state...
I took Moira to the cinema, where she fell asleep...
Almost without exception these women ~ victim to exploitation.
V-LINK: V in/into/out of n, V adj, V n
10.
If you say that something or someone ~s into a particular group or category, you mean that they belong in that group or category.
The problems generally ~ into two categories...
Both women ~ into the highest-risk group.
VERB: V into n, V into n
11.
If the responsibility or blame for something ~s on someone, they have to take the responsibility or the blame for it. (WRITTEN)
That responsibility ~s on the local office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees...
VERB: V on n
12.
If a celebration or other special event ~s on a particular day or date, it happens to be on that day or date.
...the oddly named Quasimodo Sunday which ~s on the first Sunday after Easter.
VERB: V on n
13.
When light or shadow ~s on something, it covers it.
Nancy, out of the corner of her eye, saw the shadow that suddenly fell across the doorway.
VERB: V across/over/on n
14.
If someone’s hair or a garment ~s in a certain way, it hangs downwards in that way.
...a slender boy with black hair ~ing across his forehead.
VERB: V prep/adv
15.
If you say that someone’s eyes fell on something, you mean they suddenly noticed it. (WRITTEN)
As he laid the flowers on the table, his eye fell upon a note in Grace’s handwriting.
VERB: V on/upon n
16.
When night or darkness ~s, night begins and it becomes dark.
As darkness fell outside, they sat down to eat at long tables.
VERB: V
17.
You can refer to a water~ as the ~s.
...panoramic views of the ~s.
...Niagara Falls.
N-PLURAL; N-IN-NAMES
18.
Fall is the season between summer and winter when the weather becomes cooler. (AM; in BRIT, use autumn )
He was elected judge in the ~ of 1991...
The Supreme Court will not hear the case until next ~.
N-VAR
19.
see also ~en
20.
To ~ to pieces, or in British English to ~ to bits, means the same as to ~ apart .
At that point the radio handset fell to pieces.
PHRASE: V inflects
21.
to ~ on your feet: see foot
to ~ foul of: see foul
to ~ flat: see flat
to ~ from grace: see grace
to ~ into place: see place
to ~ short: see short
to ~ into the trap: see trap
to ~ by the wayside: see wayside