fall */*/*/

I UK [fɔːl] / US [fɔl] verb [intransitive]
Word forms "fall":
present tense I/you/we/they fall he/she/it falls present participle falling past tense fell UK [fel] / US past participle fallen UK [ˈfɔːlən] / US [ˈfɔlən]

1) to move quickly downwards 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.

fall to your death:

A climber fell to his death today.

a) to come down towards or onto the ground from the sky

Snow began to quietly fall.

Bombs fell on the city throughout the night.

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

I slipped and almost fell down.

We heard the crash of falling trees.

fall to the ground/floor:

He collapsed and fell to the ground.

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.

2) to become lower in level, amount, or value

The temperature has been falling steadily all day.

The programme was cancelled because of falling audience figures.

fall by:

Industrial production has fallen by 10%.

•

Collocations:
Adverbs frequently used with fall
▪  dramatically, rapidly, sharply, slightly, steadily, steeply

3) to belong to a particular group or area of activity

fall within/into:

Those items fall into the category of luxury goods.

fall outside:

This question falls outside my area of expertise.

4)

a) to change into another state or condition

fall asleep/ill:

Shortly before Christmas she fell ill.

fall into:

I climbed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

fall into decay/disrepair/ruin/disuse:

The building gradually fell into decay.

b) if something falls open, it opens accidentally

The book fell open at a map of the city.

5) to happen on a particular day or date

Christmas falls on a Saturday this year.

6) 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.

7)

a) if a place falls in a war, a different army takes control of it

The city is expected to fall within days.

b) if an area falls to a political party during an election, a different party takes control of it

fall to:

In the last election, the constituency fell to Labour.

8) literary if people fall in a war, they are killed

9) literary to hang down

fall over/onto/to:

Her long black hair fell over her shoulders.

10) to slope downwards

Here the land rises and falls in gentle hills.

11) if someone's voice falls, it becomes quieter

His voice fell to a whisper.

12) mainly literary if something such as a shadow or light falls on a surface, it goes over or onto the surface

13) if your eyes fall on someone or something, you notice them

14) 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.

•

darkness/night/dusk falls — it becomes dark in the evening

fall at the first/final hurdle= fall at the first/final fence — to fail at the beginning or near the end of something that you are trying to do

fall from grace/favour — to lose your position, or to lose the respect or approval of other people

fall to bits/pieces — to be in a very bad condition because of being old or badly made; to be so upset or unhappy that you cannot behave normally; if a theory, system, or relationship falls to pieces, it no longer works

The furniture's falling to pieces.

fall under someone's influence/sway — to be strongly influenced by someone

a silence/hush falls — mainly literary used for saying that a group of people suddenly become quiet

- fall foul of

- fall in love

- fall into place

- fall over yourself to do something

- fall short

- fall to doing something

Phrasal verbs:

- fall about

- fall apart

- fall away

- fall back

- fall back on

- fall behind

- fall down

- fall for

- fall in

- fall into

- fall in with

- fall off

- fall on

- fall out

- fall over

- fall through

- fall to

See:

foot I, prey I

II UK [fɔːl] / US [fɔl] noun
Word forms "fall":
singular fall plural falls

1) [countable] an occasion when someone or something falls to the ground

She was taken to hospital after a fall.

fall from:

Her brother was killed in a fall from a horse.

Luckily her fall was broken by soft snow.

2) [countable] an occasion when something falls to the ground from the sky or from a high place

fall of:

There had been a fall of rocks on the road.

a heavy fall of snow

3) [countable] an occasion when the amount, level, or value of something falls

Analysts are expecting a fall on Wall Street.

fall in:

There has been a sharp fall in unemployment.

fall of:

We have seen a fall of 5% in sales this month.

4) [singular] someone's defeat or loss of power

fall of:

Khomeini came to power after the fall of the Shah.

the rise and fall of:

the rise and fall of the Roman Empire

the fall of something to someone:

Thousands fled after the fall of the city to rebel forces.

5) [singular] the downward slope or movement of something

She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest.

6) falls

[plural] a waterfall

7) [countable] an act of pushing your opponent to the ground in the sport of wrestling or judo

8) [countable, usually singular] American the season between summer and winter

9) the Fall in the Jewish and Christian religions, the story of how evil came into the world because Adam and Eve did not obey God

•

fall from grace/favour — an occasion when you lose the respect or approval of other people

It has been a spectacular fall from grace for the one-time millionaire.