fɔ:l v. & n. --v.intr. (past fell;
past part. fallen) 1 a go or
come down freely;
descend rapidly
from a higher to a lower
level (fell from
the top
floor;
rain was falling). b
drop or be dropped (supplies fell by
parachute; the
curtain fell). 2 a (often foll. by over)
cease to
stand; come suddenly to the ground from
loss of
balance etc. b
collapse forwards or downwards
esp. of one's
own volition (fell
into my arms; fell
over the chair). 3
become detached
and descend or
disappear. 4
take a
downward direction: a (of
hair,
clothing, etc.)
hang down. b (of ground etc.)
slope. c (foll. by into) (of a
river etc.)
discharge into. 5 a
find a lower level;
sink lower. b
subside,
abate. 6 (of a
barometer,
thermometer, etc.)
show a lower
reading. 7
occur; become
apparent or present (darkness fell). 8
decline,
diminish (demand is falling; standards
have fallen). 9 a (of the face) show
dismay or
disappointment. b (of the eyes or a glance)
look downwards. 10 a
lose power or
status (the
government will fall). b lose
esteem,
moral integrity, etc. 11
commit sin;
yield to
temptation. 12 take or have a
particular direction or
place (his
eye fell on
me; the
accent falls on the
first syllable). 13 a find a place; be
naturally divisible (the
subject falls into
three parts). b (foll. by
under, within) be classed
among. 14 occur at a specified
time (Easter falls
early this year). 15 come by
chance or
duty (it fell to me to answer). 16 a pass into a specified
condition (fall into
decay; fell ill). b become (fall asleep). 17 a (of a
position etc.) be overthrown or captured;
succumb to
attack. b be defeated;
fail. 18 die (fall in battle). 19 (foll. by
on, upon) a attack. b meet
with. c
embrace or
embark on avidly. 20 (foll. by to +
verbal noun)
begin (fell to wondering). 21 (foll. by to)
lapse,
revert (revenues fall to the Crown). --n. 1 the
act or an
instance of falling; a
sudden rapid descent. 2
that which falls or
has fallen, e.g.
snow, rocks, etc. 3 the recorded
amount of
rainfall etc. 4 a decline or
diminution. 5
overthrow,
downfall (the fall of Rome). 6 a succumbing to temptation. b (the Fall) the sin of Adam and
its consequences, as described in
Genesis. 7 (of
material,
land,
light, etc.) a downward direction; a slope. 8 (also Fall) US
autumn. 9 (esp. in pl.) a
waterfall,
cataract, or
cascade. 10 Mus. a
cadence. 11 a a wrestling-bout; a
throw in wrestling which keeps the
opponent on the ground
for a specified time. b a controlled act of falling, esp. as a stunt or in
judo etc. 12 a the
birth of
young of
certain animals. b the
number of young
born. 13 a
rope of a hoisting-tackle. øfall
about colloq. be
helpless, esp. with
laughter. fall
apart (or to pieces) 1 break into pieces. 2 (of a
situation etc.)
disintegrate; be reduced to
chaos. 3 lose one's
capacity to cope. fall
away 1 (of a surface)
incline abruptly. 2 become
few or
thin; gradually
vanish. 3 desert,
revolt;
abandon one's principles. fall
back retreat. fall-back (attrib.)
emergency, esp. (of wages) the
minimum paid when no
work is
available. fall back on have
recourse to in
difficulty. fall
behind 1 be outstripped by one's competitors
etc.; lag. 2 be in
arrears. fall down (often foll. by on) colloq. fail;
perform poorly; fail to
deliver (payment etc.). fall for colloq. 1 be captivated or deceived
by. 2
admire; yield to the charms or merits
of. fall
foul of come into
conflict with; quarrel with. fall guy sl. 1 an
easy victim. 2 a
scapegoat. fall in 1 a take one's place in
military formation. b (as int.) the
order to do this. 2 collapse
inwards. falling
star a
meteor. fall in
love see LOVE. fall into line 1 take one's place in the ranks. 2
conform or
collaborate with others. fall into place begin to
make sense or
cohere. fall in with 1 meet by chance. 2
agree with;
accede to;
humour. 3
coincide with. fall
off 1 (of
demand etc.)
decrease,
deteriorate. 2
withdraw. fall-off n. a decrease, deterioration,
withdrawal, etc. fall
out 1 quarrel. 2 (of the hair,
teeth, etc.) become detached. 3
Mil. come out of formation. 4
result; come to pass; occur. fall out of gradually
discontinue (a
habit etc.). fall over
oneself colloq. 1 be
eager or
competitive. 2 be
awkward,
stumble through haste,
confusion, etc. fall-pipe a
downpipe. fall
short 1 be or become
deficient or
inadequate. 2 (of a
missile etc.)
not reach its
target. fall short of fail to reach or
obtain. fall through fail; come to
nothing;
miscarry. fall to begin an
activity, e.g.
eating or
working. [OE fallan, feallan f. Gmc]