fall

fall [fôl]

vi.

fell, fallen, falling [ME fallen < OE feallan, to fall, akin to Ger fallen < IE base * phol-, to fall > Lith púolu, to fall]

I to come down by the force of gravity; drop; descend

1. to come down because detached, pushed, dropped, etc.; move down and land forcibly [apples fall from the tree]

2. to come down suddenly from a standing or sitting position; tumble; topple; become prostrate

3. to be wounded or killed in battle

4. to come down in ruins; collapse [the building fell]

5. to hang down [hair falling about her shoulders]

II to pass to a position, condition, etc. regarded as lower

1. to take a downward direction [land falling away to the sea]

2. to become lower in amount, number, degree, intensity, value, etc.; drop; abate [prices fell]

3. to lose power; be overthrown [the government has fallen]

4. to lose status, reputation, dignity, etc.

5. to yield to temptation; do wrong; sin; specif. in earlier use (esp. of women), to lose chastity

6. to be captured or conquered

7. to take on a look of disappointment or dejection [his face fell]

8. to become lower in pitch or volume [her voice fell]

III to happen as if by dropping

1. to take place; occur [the meeting fell on a Friday]

2. to come by lot, distribution, inheritance, etc. [the estate falls to the son]

3. to pass into a specified condition; become [to fall ill, to fall in love]

4. to come at a specified place [the accent falls on the third syllable]

5. to be directed by chance [his eye fell on a misspelled word]

6. to be spoken in an involuntary way [the news fell from his lips]

7. to be born: said of animals

8. to be divided (into) [to fall into two classes]

vt.

Dial. to fell (a tree, etc.)

n.

[< the v.]

1. a dropping; descending; coming down

2. a coming down suddenly from a standing or sitting position

3. a hanging down, or a part hanging down

4. a downward direction or slope

5. a becoming lower or less; reduction in value, price, etc.

6. a lowering of the voice in pitch or volume

7. a capture; overthrow; ruin

8. a loss of status, reputation, etc.

9. a yielding to temptation; wrongdoing; moral lapse

10.

a) a birth: said of animals

b) the number of animals born at one birth; litter

11.

a) something that has fallen [a fall of leaves]

b) a felling of trees, or timber felled at one time

12. that season of the year in which many trees lose their leaves; autumn: in the North Temperate Zone, generally regarded as including the months of September, October, and November

13. the amount of what has fallen [a six-inch fall of snow]

14. the distance that something falls

15. [usually pl., often with sing. v.] water falling over a cliff, etc.; cascade

16. a broad, turned-down ruff or collar worn in the 17th cent.

17.

a) Now Rare a kind of veil hanging from the back of a woman's hat

b) lace, ruffles, or other trimming on a dress, usually hanging from the collar

18. a long tress of hair, often synthetic, used by a woman to fill out her coiffure

19. Mech. the loose end of the rope, cable, etc. used in a block and tackle

20. Naut.

a) either of the lines used to lower or hoist a boat at the davits

b) in a TACKLE (n. 2), the part of a rope between the free end and a pulley or between pulleys

21. Wrestling

a) the act of holding an opponent down so that both shoulders touch the mat for a specified time period; pin

b) a bout or a division of a match

adj.

of, in, for, or characteristic of the fall season

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☆ fall all over oneself or fall over oneself

Informal to behave in too eager or zealous a manner

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fall among

to come among by chance

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fall apart

to crumble, disintegrate, disunite, etc.

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fall away

1. to take away friendship, support, etc.; desert

2. to become less in size, strength, etc.; specif., to grow thin and weak

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fall back

to withdraw; give way; retreat

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fall back on or fall back upon

1. to turn, or return, to for security or help

2. to retreat to

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fall behind

1. to be outdistanced; drop behind

2. to fail to pay on time; be in arrears

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☆ fall down on

Slang to fail or be unsuccessful in (a job, etc.)

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☆ fall for Informal

1. to fall in love with; become infatuated with

2. to be tricked or deceived by

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fall foul of or fall afoul of

1. to collide with or become entangled with

2. to get into trouble or conflict with

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fall in

1. to collapse inward; cave in

2. to agree

3. Mil. to line up in proper formation

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fall in with

1. to meet by chance

2. to meet and join

3. to agree with; comply with

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fall off

1. to become smaller, less, lighter, etc.

2. to become worse; decline

3. Naut. to swing away from the heading, often, specif., to leeward

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fall on or fall upon

1. to attack

2. to be the duty of

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fall out

1. to have a disagreement; quarrel

2. to happen; result

3. Mil. to leave one's place in a formation

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fall short

1. to be lacking

2. to fail to meet a standard or goal: with of

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fall through

to come to nothing; fail

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fall to

to begin; start; specif.,

a) to start attacking

b) to start eating

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fall under

1. to come under (an influence, etc.)

2. to be listed or classified as

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ride for a fall

to behave in a manner likely to cause one trouble or injury

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the Fall of Man or the Fall

Christian Theol. Adam's sin of yielding to temptation in eating the forbidden fruit, and his subsequent loss of grace: see ORIGINAL SIN

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the fall of the cards

the chance distribution of cards in a given deal