fall
Meaning
n 1: the season when the leaves fall from the trees; "in the fallof 1973" [syn: autumn]
2: a sudden drop from an upright position; "he had a nasty
spill on the ice" [syn: spill, tumble]
3: the lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of
Adam and Eve; "women have been blamed ever since the Fall"
4: a downward slope or bend [syn: descent, declivity, decline,
declination, declension, downslope] [ant: ascent]
5: a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity; "a
fall from virtue"
6: a sudden decline in strength or number or importance; "the
fall of the House of Hapsburg" [syn: downfall] [ant: rise]
7: a movement downward; "the rise and fall of the tides" [ant:
rise]
8: the act of surrendering (under agreed conditions); "they
were protected until the capitulation of the fort" [syn: capitulation,
surrender]
9: the time of day immediately following sunset; "he loved the
twilight"; "they finished before the fall of night" [syn:
twilight, dusk, gloaming, nightfall, evenfall, crepuscule,
crepuscle]
10: when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat [syn: pin]
11: a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity; "it was a
miracle that he survived the drop from that height" [syn:
drop]
12: a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity; "a drop of 57
points on the Dow Jones index"; "there was a drop in
pressure in the pulmonary artery"; "a dip in prices";
"when that became known the price of their stock went
into free fall" [syn: drop, dip, free fall]
v 1: descend in free fall under the influence of gravity; "The
branch fell from the tree"; "The unfortunate hiker fell
into a crevasse"
2: move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way;
"The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is
falling"; "The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went
up and then fell again" [syn: descend, go down, come
down] [ant: rise, ascend]
3: pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind;
"fall into a trap"; "She fell ill"; "They fell out of
favor"; "Fall in love"; "fall asleep"; "fall prey to an
imposter"; "fall into a strange way of thinking"; "she
fell to pieces after she lost her work"
4: come under, be classified or included; "fall into a
category"; "This comes under a new heading" [syn: come]
5: fall from clouds; "rain, snow and sleet were falling";
"Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on
Herculaneum" [syn: precipitate, come down]
6: suffer defeat, failure, or ruin; "We must stand or fall";
"fall by the wayside"
7: decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework
decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin
pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fall to under a
hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" [syn: decrease,
diminish, lessen] [ant: increase]
8: die, as in battle or in a hunt; "Many soldiers fell at
Verdun"; "Several deer have fallen to the same gun"; "The
shooting victim fell dead"
9: touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly; "Light
fell on her face"; "The sun shone on the fields"; "The
light struck the golden necklace"; "A strange sound struck
my ears" [syn: shine, strike]
10: be captured; "The cities fell to the enemy"
11: occur at a specified time or place; "Christmas falls on a
Monday this year"; "The accent falls on the first
syllable"
12: yield to temptation or sin; "Adam and Eve fell"
13: lose office or power; "The government fell overnight"; "The
Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen"
14: to be given by assignment or distribution; "The most
difficult task fell on the youngest member of the team";
"The onus fell on us"; "The pressure to succeed fell on
the yougest student"
15: move in a specified direction; "The line of men fall
forward"
16: be due; "payments fall on the 1st of the month"
17: lose one's chastity; "a fallen woman"
18: to be given by right or inheritance; "The estate fell to the
oldest daughter"
19: come into the possession of; "The house accrued to the
oldest son" [syn: accrue]
20: fall to somebody by assignment or lot; "The task fell to
me"; "It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims"
[syn: light]
21: be inherited by; "The estate fell to my sister"; "The land
returned to the family"; "The estate devolved to an heir
that everybody had assumed to be dead" [syn: return, pass,
devolve]
22: slope downward; "The hills around here fall towards the
ocean"
23: lose an upright position suddenly; "The vase fell over and
the water spilled onto the table"; "Her hair fell across
her forehead" [syn: fall down]
24: drop oneself to a lower or less erect position; "She fell
back in her chair"; "He fell to his knees"
25: fall or flow in a certain way; "This dress hangs well"; "Her
long black hair flowed down her back" [syn: hang, flow]
26: assume a disappointed or sad expression; "Her face fell when
she heard that she would be laid off"; "his crest fell"
27: be cast down; "his eyes fell"
28: come out; issue; "silly phrases fell from her mouth"
29: be born, used chiefly of lambs; "The lambs fell in the
afternoon"
30: begin vigorously; "The prisoners fell to work right away"
31: go as if by falling; "Grief fell from our hearts"
32: come as if by falling; "Night fell"; "Silence fell" [syn: descend,
settle]
[also: fell, fallen]