fall

fall1 [ fɔl ] (past tense fell [ fel ] ; past participle fall|en [ `fɔlən ] ) verb intransitive ***

▸ 1 move downward quickly

▸ 2 become lower in amount

▸ 3 change to another state

▸ 4 lose power/control

▸ 5 hang down

▸ 6 belong to group/activity

▸ 7 happen on particular day

▸ 8 about light/shadow etc.

▸ 9 emphasize part of something

▸ 10 slope downward

▸ 11 become quieter

▸ 12 notice someone/something

▸ + PHRASES

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

─ opposite RISE

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.

a ) if something falls open, it opens accidentally:

The book fell open at a map of the city.

b ) darkness/night/dusk falls it becomes dark in the evening:

Darkness was falling as we reached the house.

c ) a silence/hush falls MAINLY LITERARY used for saying that a group of people suddenly become quiet:

A respectful hush fell over the crowd as she entered.

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.

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 state fell to the Democrats.

c ) LITERARY if people fall in a war, they are killed

5. ) MAINLY LITERARY to hang down:

fall over/onto/to: Her long black hair fell over her shoulders.

The coat falls to just above the ankles.

6. ) 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.

7. ) to happen on a particular day or date:

Christmas falls on a Saturday this year.

8. ) 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.

9. ) 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.

10. ) to slope downward:

Here the land rises and falls in gentle hills.

─ opposite RISE

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

His voice fell to a whisper.

─ opposite RISE

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

fall at the first/final hurdle

to fail at the beginning or near the end of something that you are trying to do

fall foul of

to get into trouble with someone or something

fall from grace/favor

to lose your position, or to lose the respect or approval of other people

fall in love

to start to love someone:

fall in love with: Why do we fall in love with one person rather than another?

fall into place

1. ) if the details of a problem or PUZZLE fall into place, you suddenly understand how they are connected and can solve the problem

2. ) if things fall into place, events happen in a way that is satisfactory for you:

When you are playing well, everything falls into place.

fall over yourself to do something

to be very enthusiastic about doing something

fall short

to not reach a particular level or to fail to achieve something you were trying to do:

fall short of: The party is likely to fall short of a parliamentary majority.

fall to doing something LITERARY

to start doing something

fall to pieces

1. ) to be in a very bad condition because of being old or badly made:

The furniture's falling to pieces.

2. ) to be so upset or unhappy that you cannot behave normally

3. ) if a theory, system, or relationship falls to pieces, it no longer works

fall under someone's influence/sway

to be strongly influenced by someone:

At college she fell under the influence of her professor, a noted Marxist.

=> FOOT1, PREY1

,fall a`part phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to break because of being old or badly made:

I've read this book so often it's falling apart.

2. ) to lose control of your emotions and become unable to deal with a difficult situation

3. ) if something such as an organization, agreement, or relationship falls apart, it no longer continues

,fall a`way phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) if land falls away, it slopes down suddenly from a particular point:

The ground fell away below us to the ocean.

2. ) to become smaller or lower in amount, level, value, etc.

3. ) BRITISH LITERARY if something such as a sound or feeling falls away, it becomes weaker and disappears

4. ) if something falls away, it breaks off from the thing it was fixed to:

Plaster was falling away from the walls.

,fall `back phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) to move so that you are behind someone or something:

Oliver and Sara fell back and started talking.

2. ) to become smaller or lower in amount, level, value, etc.:

Profits fell back slightly this month.

,fall `back on phrasal verb transitive

fall back on something to use or do something else after other things have failed:

She always has her teaching experience to fall back on.

,fall be`hind phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive fall behind someone to make less progress or be less successful than other people who are doing a similar job or activity:

My daughter is falling behind with her school work.

2. ) intransitive to fail to do something or pay something at the time that you should:

We started to fall behind with the rent.

3. ) intransitive or transitive fall behind someone to move more slowly than other people so that you are behind them:

After five miles Tara was tired and started to fall behind.

On the hill he fell behind the other runners.

,fall `down phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) same as FALL1 1B:

I fell down and hurt my knee.

2. ) if something you are wearing is falling down, it is slipping down your legs:

The boy came into the room with his pants falling down.

3. ) if something such as an argument or system falls down, it fails because a particular part of it is weak or not correct

a ) fall down on the job to do a particular job or activity in a careless way with the remit that you are not successful

4. ) always progressive if a building is falling down, it is in very bad condition

`fall for phrasal verb transitive

1. ) fall for someone to fall in love with someone:

He fell for Rosie when he was in the hospital and she was his nurse.

2. ) fall for something to believe that a trick or a joke is true:

How could you fall for such an obvious trick?

,fall `in phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) LITERARY if you fall in behind or beside someone, you start walking behind or beside them:

He fell in behind the procession.

2. ) if a roof or wall falls in, it falls to the ground

`fall into phrasal verb transitive

fall into something to start doing something by chance:

She fell into modeling almost by accident.

fall into conversation

to start having a conversation with someone, especially someone you have just met

fall into someone's hands

1. ) to be caught by someone or come under their control:

All the western provinces had fallen into enemy hands.

2. ) if something falls into someone's hands, they get it, usually by chance:

We don't want this information to fall into the wrong hands.

fall into step

if you fall into step beside someone, you start walking beside them

,fall `in with phrasal verb transitive

1. ) fall in with someone to become friends with someone:

She fell in with a group of troublemakers.

2. ) fall in with something to accept or agree with someone else's ideas, way of behaving, etc.:

I tried to fall in with the general mood of celebration.

,fall `off phrasal verb intransitive

if the amount, level, or value of something falls off, it gets smaller:

Sales always fall off in the winter months.

`fall on or `fall u,pon MAINLY LITERARY phrasal verb transitive

1. ) fall on someone if something falls on someone, it is their responsibility to do it:

The burden of caring for elderly parents often falls on women.

2. ) fall on someone to take hold of someone suddenly, either to attack them or to HUG them:

She was so grateful she fell on him and kissed him.

3. ) fall on something MAINLY BRITISH to start eating food or start using something as soon as it arrives, in a way that shows you want it very much

,fall `out phrasal verb intransitive

1. ) INFORMAL to stop being friendly with someone because you have had a disagreement with them:

Have you two fallen out?

fall out with: I'd fallen out with my parents.

2. ) if something such as your hair or a tooth falls out, it comes out

,fall `over phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive or transitive if you fall over or fall over something, you fall or almost fall to the ground:

The room is full of boxes and people keep falling over them.

2. ) intransitive if something falls over, it falls so that its side is on the ground

,fall `through phrasal verb intransitive

if something such as a deal, plan, or arrangement falls through, it fails to happen

`fall to phrasal verb transitive FORMAL

fall to someone if a particular job or duty falls to someone, it is their responsibility:

fall to someone to do something: It fell to me to explain to him what happened.

fall

fall 2 [ fɔl ] noun ***

▸ 1 season

▸ 2 when someone/something falls

▸ 3 from high place or sky

▸ 4 when amount etc. falls

▸ 5 defeat or loss of power

▸ 6 downward movement

▸ 7 waterfall

▸ 8 in wrestling/judo

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) count usually singular AMERICAN the season between summer and winter. British autumn:

He will go away to college in the fall.

2. ) count an occasion when someone or something falls to the ground:

She was taken to the hospital after a fall.

fall from: The Major was killed in a fall from a horse.

break someone's fall (=stop them from landing on something very hard): Luckily her fall was broken by soft snow.

3. ) count fall of an occasion when something falls to the ground from the sky or from a high place:

There had been a fall of rocks on the road.

a heavy fall of snow

4. ) count an occasion when the amount, level, or value of something falls:

fall in: There has been a sharp fall in unemployment.

─ opposite RISE

5. ) singular someone's defeat or loss of power:

fall of: Germany was reunified after the fall of Communism.

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.

6. ) singular the downward slope or movement of something:

She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest.

7. ) falls plural a WATERFALL:

We went to swim under the falls.

8. ) count an act of pushing your opponent to the ground in the sport of WRESTLING or JUDO

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/favor

an occasion when you lose the respect or approval of other people