fall

fall / fôl/ • v. (past fell / fel/ ; past part. fall·en / ˈfôlən/ ) [intr.] 1. move downward, typically rapidly and freely without control, from a higher to a lower level. ∎  (fall off) become detached accidentally and drop to the ground: my sunglasses fell off and broke on the pavement. ∎  hang down: hair that was allowed to fall to the shoulders. ∎  (of land) slope downward; drop away: the land fell away in a steep bank. ∎  (fall into) (of a river) flow or discharge itself into. ∎  [intr.] (of someone's face) show dismay or disappointment by appearing to sag or droop: her face fell as she thought about her life with George. ∎ fig. occur, arrive, or become apparent as if by dropping suddenly: when night fell we managed to crawl back to our lines the information might fall into the wrong hands. 2. (of a person) lose one's balance and collapse: she fell down at school today. ∎  throw oneself down, typically in order to worship or implore someone: they fell on their knees. ∎  (of a tree, building, or other structure) collapse to the ground: the house looked as if it were going to fall down at any moment. ∎  die in battle: an English leader who had fallen at the hands of the Danes. 3. decrease in number, amount, intensity, or quality: we're worried that standards are falling. ∎  find a lower level; subside or abate: the water table in the Rift Valley fell. ∎  (of a measuring instrument) show a lower reading: the barometer had fallen ten points. 4. pass into a specified state: many of the buildings fell into disrepair. ∎  be drawn accidentally into: you must not fall into this common error. ∎  occur at a specified time: Mother's birthday fell on Flag Day. ∎  be classified or ordered in the way specified: canals fall within the Minister's brief. • n. 1. [usu. in sing.] an act of falling or collapsing; a sudden uncontrollable descent: his mother had a fall. ∎  a state of hanging or drooping downward: the fall of her hair. ∎  a downward difference in height between parts of a surface. ∎  a sudden onset or arrival as if by dropping: the fall of darkness. 2. a thing that falls or has fallen: in October came the first thin fall of snow a rock fall. ∎  (usu. falls) a waterfall or cascade. 3. a decrease in size, number, rate, or level; a decline: a big fall in unemployment. 4. a loss of office: the fall of the government. ∎  the loss of a city or fortified place during battle: the fall of Jerusalem. ∎  a person's moral descent, typically through succumbing to temptation. 5. (also Fall) autumn. PHRASES: fall in (or into) line conform with others or with accepted behavior. fall into place (of a series of events or facts) begin to make sense or cohere: once he knew what to look for, the theory fell quickly into place. fall over oneself to do something inf. be excessively eager to do something: critics and audiences fell over themselves to compliment him. fall short (of) (of a missile) fail to reach its target. ∎ fig. be deficient or inadequate; fail to reach a required goal: the total vote fell short of the required two-thirds majority. PHRASAL VERBS: fall apart (or to pieces) break up, come apart, or disintegrate: their marriage is likely to fall apart. ∎  (of a person) lose one's capacity to cope: Angie fell to pieces because she had lost everything. fall back move or turn back; retreat. fall back on have recourse to when in difficulty: they normally fell back on one of three arguments. fall behind fail to keep up with one's competitors. ∎  fail to meet a commitment to make a regular payment: borrowers falling behind with their mortgage payments. fall down be shown to be inadequate or false; fail: the deal fell down partly because there were a lot of unanswered questions. fall for inf. 1. be captivated by; fall in love with. 2. be deceived by (something): he should have known better than to expect Duncan to fall for a cheap trick like that. fall in with 1. meet by chance and become involved with: he fell in with thieves. 2. act in accordance with (someone's ideas or suggestions); agree to: falling in with other people's views. fall on (or upon) 1. attack fiercely or unexpectedly: the army fell on the besiegers. ∎  seize enthusiastically: she fell on the sandwiches as though she had not eaten in weeks. 2. (of someone's eyes or gaze) be directed toward: her gaze fell on the mud-stained coverlet. 3. (of a burden or duty) be borne or incurred by: the cost of tuition should not fall on the student. fall out 1. (of the hair, teeth, etc.) become detached and drop out. 2. have an argument: he had fallen out with his family. 3. happen; turn out: matters fell out as Stephen arranged. fall through come to nothing; fail: the project fell through due to lack of money. fall to (of a task) become the duty or responsibility of: it fell to me to write to Shephard. ∎  (of property) revert to the ownership of.