/ fɔːl; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( fell / fel; NAmE / fall·en / ˈfɔːlən; NAmE /)
DROP DOWN
1.
[ v , usually + adv. / prep. ] to drop down from a higher level to a lower level :
Several of the books had fallen onto the floor.
One of the kids fell into the river.
The handle had fallen off the drawer.
September had come and the leaves were starting to fall.
He fell 20 metres onto the rocks below.
The rain was falling steadily.
They were injured by falling rocks.
STOP STANDING
2.
[ v , usually + adv. / prep. ] to suddenly stop standing :
She slipped on the ice and fell.
I fell over and cut my knee.
The house looked as if it was about to fall down.
—see also fallen
OF HAIR / MATERIAL
3.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to hang down :
Her hair fell over her shoulders in a mass of curls.
SLOPE DOWNWARDS
4.
[ v ] fall (away / off) to slope downwards :
The land falls away sharply towards the river.
DECREASE
5.
to decrease in amount, number or strength :
[ v ]
Their profits have fallen by 30 per cent.
Prices continued to fall on the stock market today.
The temperature fell sharply in the night.
falling birth rates
Her voice fell to a whisper.
[ vn ]
Share prices fell 30p.
OPP rise
BE DEFEATED
6.
[ v ] to be defeated or captured :
The coup failed but the government fell shortly afterwards.
Troy finally fell to the Greeks.
DIE IN BATTLE
7.
[ v ] ( literary ) to die in battle; to be shot :
a memorial to those who fell in the two world wars
BECOME
8.
to pass into a particular state; to begin to be sth :
[ v - adj ]
He had fallen asleep on the sofa.
The book fell open at a page of illustrations.
The room had fallen silent.
She fell ill soon after and did not recover.
[ v + adv. / prep. ]
I had fallen into conversation with a man on the train.
The house had fallen into disrepair.
[ v - n ]
She knew she must not fall prey to his charm.
HAPPEN / OCCUR
9.
[ v ] fall (on sb/sth) ( literary ) to come quickly and suddenly
SYN descend :
A sudden silence fell.
Darkness falls quickly in the tropics.
An expectant hush fell on the guests.
10.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to happen or take place :
My birthday falls on a Monday this year.
11.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to move in a particular direction or come in a particular position :
My eye fell on (= I suddenly saw) a curious object.
Which syllable does the stress fall on?
A shadow fell across her face.
BELONG TO GROUP
12.
[ v + adv. / prep. ] to belong to a particular class, group or area of responsibility :
Out of over 400 staff there are just 7 that fall into this category.
This case falls outside my jurisdiction.
This falls under the heading of scientific research.
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IDIOMS
Idioms containing fall are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example fall by the wayside is at wayside .
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- fall about
- fall apart
- fall away
- fall back
- fall back on sb/sth
- fall behind (sb/sth)
- fall behind with sth
- fall down
- fall for sb
- fall for sth
- fall in
- fall in with sb/sth
- fall into sth
- fall off
- fall on / upon sb/sth
- fall out
- fall out (with sb)
- fall over
- fall over sb/sth
- fall over yourself to do sth
- fall through
- fall to sb
- fall to sth
■ noun
ACT OF FALLING
1.
[ C ] an act of falling :
I had a bad fall and broke my arm.
She was killed in a fall from a horse.
OF SNOW / ROCKS
2.
[ C ] fall (of sth) an amount of snow, rocks, etc. that falls or has fallen :
a heavy fall of snow
a rock fall
WAY STH FALLS / HAPPENS
3.
[ sing. ] fall of sth the way in which sth falls or happens :
the fall of the dice
the dark fall of her hair (= the way her hair hangs down)
OF WATER
4.
falls [ pl. ] (especially in names) a large amount of water falling down from a height
SYN waterfall :
The falls upstream are full of salmon.
Niagara Falls
AUTUMN
5.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) = autumn :
in the fall of 2005
last fall
fall weather
DECREASE
6.
[ C ] fall (in sth) a decrease in size, number, rate or level :
a steep fall in profits
a big fall in unemployment
OPP rise
DEFEAT
7.
[ sing. ] fall (of sth) a loss of political, economic, etc. power or success; the loss or defeat of a city, country, etc. in war :
the fall of the Roman Empire
the rise and fall of British industry
the fall of Berlin
LOSS OF RESPECT
8.
[ sing. ] a situation in which a person, an organization, etc. loses the respect of other people because they have done sth wrong :
the TV preacher's spectacular fall from grace
IN BIBLE
9.
the Fall [ sing. ] the occasion when Adam and Eve did not obey God and had to leave the Garden of Eden
•
IDIOMS
- break sb's fall
—more at pride noun , ride verb
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English fallan , feallan , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vallen and German fallen ; the noun is partly from the verb, partly from Old Norse fall downfall, sin.