Meaning of fall in English

decreaseThe tests show that the tumour has decreased in size since we started treatment.
lessenA healthy diet lessens your risk for cardiovascular disease.
lowerThey've just lowered the age at which you can join.
reduceThey've just reduced the price.
bring downThey are bringing down their prices.
dropStock prices dropped today after the company's announcement.

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More examplesFewer examples

The temperature has fallen below zero recently.
Inflation has fallen below 2%, and that's official.
The flood waters fell, depositing mud over the whole area.
Many economists expect unemployment to fall over the next couple of months.
If your bank account balance falls below the minimum, you'll be nicked for a $5 service charge.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Becoming and making smaller or less

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fall verb (COME DOWN)

A2 [ I ]

to come down onto the ground or from a high position to a lower position:

The snow had been falling steadily all day.

It was October and the leaves had started to fall.

fall into She fell into bed, completely exhausted.

fall on A bomb fell on the church and destroyed it.

fall to A huge meteor fell to Earth in the middle of the desert.

He begged for mercy as the blows fell on him (= as he was being hit).

fall to your knees (also fall down on your knees)

to go down on your knees to show respect or gratitude:

The people all fell to their knees and began to pray.

[ I ]

When the curtain falls in the theatre, it comes down because the play or performance has ended:

The audience was still laughing as the curtain fell.

More examplesFewer examples

Although the curtain has now fallen on the Republican era, many of its values still remain.
The fact that aircraft don't fall out of the sky always seems to me to defy the law of gravity.
The satellite will fragment and burn up as it falls through the earth's atmosphere.
Her luxuriant hair fell around her shoulders.
Rain had been falling steadily all day and the ground had become a marsh.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Moving downwards

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fall verb (BELONG TO)

[ I usually + adv/prep ]

to belong to a particular group, subject, or area:

fall into The material falls into three categories.

fall outside Matters of discipline fall outside my area of responsibility.

More examplesFewer examples

They believe that all the outstanding issues should fall within the ambit of the talks.
What genre does the book fall into - comedy or tragedy?
This case falls outside the purview of this particular court.
The matter falls outside his area of jurisdiction.
This research paper falls outside my own area of expertise.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Duty, obligation and responsibility

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fall verb (BECOME)

B1 [ I + adv/prep, L ]

to change to a particular condition from a different one:

fall asleep He always falls asleep after drinking red wine.

fall ill She suddenly fell ill.

fall sick So many children fell sick that the school had to be closed for a week.

fall open The book fell open (= opened by chance) at a picture of Venice.

fall silent She fell silent for a moment and I saw she was watching someone outside.

fall due Your rent falls due (= must be paid) on the first of the month.

silence falls Silence fell on the group of men (= they became silent) as they received the news.

fall under She fell under the influence of (= began to be influenced by) an older student.

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They let the palace fall into ruin.
The buildings had started to fall into decay.
He fell unconscious shortly after the accident.
Sophia fell ill while on holiday.
After we'd explained about the change of plan, the children fell strangely quiet for a minute or two.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Changing

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fall verb (BE DEFEATED)

C2 [ I ]

to be beaten or defeated:

fall from power The president fell from power during the military coup.

UK The government finally fell after losing the support of the centre parties.

C2 [ I ]

If a place falls in a war or an election, an enemy army or a different political party gets control of it:

fall to Rome fell to the Vandals in AD 455.

UK The constituency fell to Labour at the last election, after ten years of Conservative rule.

[ I ] literary

If soldiers fall while fighting, they are killed:

Many brave men fell in the fight to save the city.

fall in battle During the war, he saw many of his comrades fall in battle.

[ I ] UK

In cricket, when a wicket falls, the turn of the player who is hitting the ball ends:

Ten wickets fell in 22 overs.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Losing and being defeated

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Death and dying

Cricket

fall verb (HAPPEN)

C2 [ I ]

to come at a particular time or happen in a particular place:

Easter falls late this year.

fall on My birthday will fall on a Friday this year.

night falls Night had fallen by the time we got back to the camp.

darkness falls The soldiers marched for several hours and then rested in a wooded area until darkness fell.

In the word "table", the accent falls on the first syllable.

The Treasury has still not decided where the cuts will fall.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Occurring and happening

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fall verb (HANG DOWN)

C2 [ I usually + adv/prep ]

to hang down loosely:

fall around The boy's hair fell around his shoulders in golden curls.

fall to The veil fell almost to her waist.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Hanging and suspending

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fall verb (UNHAPPY)

your face falls

If your face falls, you suddenly look unhappy or disappointed:

His face fell when he saw the distance he still had to go.

Grammar

Fell or felt?

Fell is the past simple of the verb fall: …

Fall or fall down?

We can use fall as a noun or a verb. It means ‘suddenly go down onto the ground or towards the ground unintentionally or accidentally’. It can also mean ‘come down from a higher position’. As a verb, it is irregular. Its past form is fell and its -ed form is fallen. Fall does not need an object: …

Idioms

as easy as falling off a log
fall between two stools
fall by the wayside
fall flat
fall foul of something
fall foul of someone
fall in line
fall in love
fall into someone's arms
fall into place

More idioms

fall into the wrong hands
fall into the/someone's trap
fall prey/victim to something/someone
fall short
nearly/almost fall off your chair
fall on deaf ears
fall on hard times

Phrasal verbs

fall about
fall apart
fall away
fall back
fall back on something
fall behind
fall down
fall down on something
fall for someone
fall for something

More phrasal verbs

fall from something
fall in
fall in with someone
fall in with something
fall into something
fall off
fall on/upon someone
fall on/upon something
fall on someone
fall out
fall over
fall over something/someone
fall through
fall to someone
fall to

fall

noun

/fɔːl/ us

/fɑːl/

fall noun (LOWER AMOUNT)

B1 [ C usually singular ]

the fact of the size, amount, or strength of something getting lower:

fall in a fall in the price of petrol/the unemployment rate

rise and fall We could hear the rise and fall of voices in the other room.

There was a fall in support for the party at the last election.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

the fact of getting smaller or becoming less

decreaseThere has been a steady decrease in the number of visitors.
fallA fall in the price of petrol is unlikely.
fall-offThere's been a sharp fall-off in demand for the product since the company's scandal broke.
falling-offThere has been a slight falling-off in public sector employment growth.

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More examplesFewer examples

The last ten years have seen a dramatic fall in the number of adoptions.
The City acted swiftly to the news of a fall in the value of sterling.
Yesterday the company announced its first ever fall in profits.
The fall in interest rates is excellent news for borrowers.
There was a larger-than-expected fall in unemployment last month.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Becoming and making smaller or less

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fall noun (SEASON)

[ C or U ] US

(UK autumn)

the season after summer and before winter, when fruits and crops become ready to eat and the leaves fall off the trees:

in the fall I'm starting college in the fall.

next fall Next fall we'll be back in New York.

a fall day/morning

fall colours/foliage

More examplesFewer examples

In the fall, everyone is out raking up the dead leaves.
The garden is a blaze of colour in the fall.
They plan to get married in the fall.
Check out our new catalog for all the latest fall and winter fashions.
We were planning a trip to Europe next fall.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

The seasons

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fall noun (ACCIDENT)

B2 [ C usually singular ]

the act of falling down to the ground, usually without intending to or by accident:

have a fall mainly UK He had a nasty fall and hurt his back.

take a fall A few years ago, she took a fall, and her doctor prescribed strong painkillers.

the fall of the Berlin Wall (= when the Berlin Wall was destroyed)

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The soft grass cushioned his fall.
I was in no mood for heroics after my fall and skied very slowly down the mountainside.
The horse broke its front leg in the fall.
He spent the last ten years of his life in a wheelchair after a fall which left him paralysed from the waist down.
After her fall she complained that she couldn't bend her leg properly.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Falling and dropping

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fall noun (MOVEMENT DOWNWARDS)

[ C usually singular ]

an amount of something that moves down onto the ground or from a higher position to a lower position:

a heavy fall of snow

See also

rainfall

falls [ plural ]

often used in place names to mean a very wide waterfall, often made of many separate waterfalls:

Niagara Falls

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Moving downwards

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fall noun (DEFEAT)

C1 [ C usually singular ]

the fact of being defeated or losing your power:

the fall of Rome

fall from The army took control of the city after the president's fall from power.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Losing and being defeated

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Idioms

take a/the fall for someone

fall from grace

(Definition of fall from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

fall | American Dictionary

fall

verb

/fɔl/

past tense fell us/fel/ | past participle fallen us/ˈfɔ·lən/

fall verb (ACCIDENT)

Add to word list Add to word list

[ I ]

(of people and animals) to move unintentionally or unexpectedly onto or toward the ground from a higher place:

He fell and hurt his arm.

Don’t fall over, honey!

I fell down the stairs.

She fell off the top of the ladder.

Kathy tripped and fell (flat) on her face (= fell facing the ground).

fall verb (MOVE DOWN)

[ I ]

to move down toward or drop to a lower position:

They expect three inches of snow to fall tonight.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell into her lap.

Plaster was falling off the walls.

fall verb (BECOME LESS)

[ I ]

to become less or lower in size, amount, or strength:

Stock prices fell sharply in late March and early April.

Her blood sugar levels fell below normal.

fall verb (CHANGE STATE)

[ L ]

used to show a change from one state to another:

He fell asleep reading the newspaper.

fall verb (BE DEFEATED)

[ I ]

to be defeated or fail:

The city fell to the enemy.

[ I ]

If soldiers fall, they die:

The statue honors soldiers who fell in battle.

fall verb (HAPPEN)

[ I ]

to happen at a particular time:

My birthday falls on a Friday this year.

By the time we got home, night had fallen (= begun).

fall verb (BELONG TO)

[ I always + adv/prep ]

to belong to a particular group, or to be part of a particular subject:

Archaeology falls under the general subject of natural history.

fall verb (HANG DOWN)

[ I always + adv/prep ]

(of hair or cloth) to hang down loosely:

Her long, dark hair fell to her waist.

Idioms

fall by the wayside
fall flat
fall into line (with someone/something)
fall into place
fall into the trap of doing something
fall into the wrong hands
fall short
fall victim to something

Phrasal verbs

fall apart
fall apart
fall back on something
fall behind (something)
fall for someone 
fall for something 
fall into something
fall off
fall out
fall out

More phrasal verbs

fall through

fall

noun

/fɔl/

fall noun (SEASON)

[ C/U ]

(also autumn)

the season of the year between summer and winter, lasting from September to December north of the equator and from March to June south of the equator, when fruits and crops finish growing and the leaves fall off the trees:

[ U ] Fall is my favorite time of year.

[ U ] She wants to take a vacation before fall classes start.

fall noun (ACCIDENT)

[ C usually sing ]

the act of moving onto or toward the ground or to a lower position, often unintentionally or accidentally:

She injured herself in a fall.

fall noun (DEFEAT)

[ C usually sing ]

a defeat or loss of power:

the fall of the Roman Empire

fall noun (DROP)

[ C usually sing ]

to become lower in size, amount, or strength:

a fall in temperature

(Definition of fall from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

fall | Business English

fall

verb

/fɔːl/ us

fell | fallen

Add to word list Add to word list

to become lower in value, amount, or level:

House prices began to fall rapidly.

Demand for new cars has fallen by over 40%.

Stock prices fell sharply yesterday.

Public sector salaries are expected to fall even further as the recession continues to bite.

Inflation has fallen to its lowest level in 30 years.

to gradually get to be in a worse condition or state:

The factory had fallen into disuse in recent years.

fall due

if a payment falls due at a particular time, it must be paid at that time:

The rent falls due on the first day of the month.

Phrasal verbs

fall back 
fall back on sth
fall behind
fall off
fall over
fall through

fall

noun

/fɔːl/ us

[ C, usually singular ]

a reduction in the amount or level of something:

a fall in sth There are serious concerns about the fall in the value of the dollar.

The FTSE 100 slumped 116 points on the back of a 160-point fall overnight on the Dow Jones.

A further fall of 2% in property prices could seriously hamper economic recovery.

The corporation reported a sharp fall in quarterly profits.

[ S ]

a situation in which someone or something that has been successful fails:

The documentary charts the rise and fall of America's third largest car company.

fall from grace

a situation in which someone who was popular, successful, etc. suddenly becomes unsuccessful, unpopular, etc.

Examples of fall

fall

Firstly, one might hold that philosophical ideas should stand or fall on their content, rather than upon the reputation of the philosopher concerned.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In sum, disyllables have the same phonetic and developmental relation to monosyllables that falls have to rises.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

A slow falling time of compressed pulse was observed due to the reduced intensity at the wings of the spatial profile.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We expect these committees will not exhibit a strong tendency to fall in the majority party's target area on its side of the chamber median.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If that is too high, then competitiveness will be reduced and, unless wages fall, unemployment will increase.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As industrial production has fallen so have associated negative externalities, leading to reductions in air, water, soil, and noise pollution.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If timber price were to fall by a third, then benefits are still comparable to half the proceeds of logging being invested.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Where the book falls down is its lack of theoretical foundation and analytical reflection.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This research falls under two main themes (i) assessing the societal value of orphan drugs and (ii) funding the development and use of orphan drugs.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

At this point, things started to fall into place.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Unlike the fall conference, each committee discussed the same four topics.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

This falls right into our strategy of using two-level types.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The basic organizing principle for my tabulation is that, depending on type, variants fall within a rather broad range according to probability or significance.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Intuitively, the positive savings effect associated with the reduction in generational turnover attenuates the fall in aggregate savings induced by the lower rate of interest.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

While highly conjectural, understanding better how these pieces fall together could develop our understanding of why nightmares occur.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of fall?

Translations of fall

in Chinese (Traditional)

發生意外, （突然）跌倒，摔倒, 減少…

in Chinese (Simplified)

发生意外, （突然）跌倒，摔落, 减少…

in Spanish

caer, caerse, decrecer…

in Portuguese

cair, baixar, tombar…

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in Italian

पडणे - हेतू नसताना किंवा अपघाताने अचानक खाली जमिनीवर किंवा जमिनीकडे जाणे, आकार किंवा प्रमाण किंवा सामर्थ्य कमी होणे, पडणे - उंच ठिकाणावरून जमिनीवर किंवा खालच्या ठिकाणी येणे…

～が落ちる, 倒れる, （雨など）が降る…

aşağı düşmek, yere düşmek, sayısı/miktarı düşmek/azalmak…

tomber, baisser, être battu/-ue…

caure, baixar, caiguda…

vallen, dalen, worden…

எதிர்பாராமல் அல்லது தற்செயலாக தரையில் அல்லது தரையை நோக்கி திடீரென கீழே செல்ல, அளவு, தொகை அல்லது வலிமை குறைவாக ஆக…