Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

fall

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb [intransitive] American English pronunciation: fall /fɔl/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyfall
he/she/itfalls
present participlefalling
past tensefell
past participlefallen
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1
    to move quickly downward from a higher position, usually by accident
    fall off/through/out of etc.:

    Ann's just fallen downstairs and hurt her back.

    I keep falling off my bike.

    It's not unusual for small children to fall out of bed.

    fall to your death:

    A climber fell to his death today.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
    1. a.
      to come down toward or onto the ground from the sky

      Snow began to fall.

      Bombs fell on the city throughout the night.

      Nobody knows what caused the airplane to fall out of the sky.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
    2. b.

      fall

       or

      fall down

       to move quickly down onto the ground from an upright or standing position

      I slipped and almost fell down.

      He fell heavily on his arm and broke it.

      We heard the crash of falling trees.

      fall to the ground/floor:

      He collapsed and fell to the ground.

      fall to/on your knees:

      Marta fell to her knees and began to pray.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
    3. c.
      to let yourself drop onto a bed, chair, etc. because you are tired
      fall into/onto:

      After work I just want to fall into bed and sleep.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  2. 2
    to become lower in level, amount, or value

    The temperature has been falling steadily all day.

    The program was canceled because of falling audience figures.

    fall to/from:

    Inflation in August fell to 3.9%.

    fall by:

    Industrial production has fallen by 10%.

    fall below:

    If your grades fall below a certain level, you have to go to summer school.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  3. 3
    to change into another state or condition
    fall asleep/sick:

    Shortly before Christmas she fell sick.

    fall into:

    I climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

    fall into decay/disrepair/ruin/disuse:

    The building gradually fell into decay.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
    1. a.
      if something falls open, it opens accidentally

      The book fell open at a map of the city.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  4. 4
    to lose a position of power

    Divisions within the ruling party caused the government to fall.

    fall from power:

    The General fell from power in 1955.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  7. 7
    literary to hang down
    fall over/onto/to:

    Her long black hair fell over her shoulders.

    The coat falls to just above the ankles.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  8. 8
    to belong to a particular group or area of activity
    fall outside:

    This question falls outside my area of expertise.

    fall within/into:

    Those items fall into the category of luxury goods.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  9. 9
    to happen on a particular day or date

    Christmas falls on a Saturday this year.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  10. 10
    mainly literary if something such as a shadow or light falls on a surface, it goes over or onto the surface
    fall on/over:

    His shadow fell over the book I was reading.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  11. 11
    if the emphasis falls on a particular part of a word, you emphasize that part when you say or sing it

    In English, the stress in "Paris" falls on the first syllable.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall
  12. 12
    to slope downward

    Here the land rises and falls in gentle hills.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fall

phrases

This is the American English definition of fall. View British English definition of fall.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for fall.

 

cyberloafing

using the Internet where you work, during working hours, for activities which are not work-related

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

neutrino

a particle that is smaller than an atom and has no electrical charge

Open Dictionary

show a bit of ankle

… to reveal a small part of your intentions in order to attract support, without actually committing yourself to doing anything

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog