Verb from Middle English fallen, from Old English feallan, from Proto-West Germanic *fallan, from Proto-Germanic *fallaną.

Cognate with Western Frisian falle, Low German fallen, Dutch vallen, German fallen, Danish falde, Norwegian Bokmål falle, Norwegian Nynorsk falla, Icelandic falla, Albanian fal, Lithuanian pùlti.

Noun from Middle English fal, fall, falle, from Old English feall, ġefeall and Old English fealle, from Proto-Germanic *fallą, *fallaz.

Sense of "autumn" is attested by the 1660s in England as a shortening of fall of the leaf (1540s), from the falling of leaves during this season.

• (America) enPR: fôl, IPA: /fɔl/

  (cot-caught) enPR: fäl IPA: /fɑl/

• (Standard Southern British) IPA: /foːl/
  • (fool-fall merger) IPA: /fuːl/
• (RP) enPR: fôl, IPA: /fɔːl/
• (Australia) IPA: /fo(ː)l/

fall (falls, present participle falling; simple past fell, past participle fallen)

1. (heading, intransitive) To be moved downwards.
   1. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

      Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground.

      • 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter II, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC ↗; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC ↗, page 0091 ↗:

        There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

   2. To come down, to drop or descend.

      The rain fell at dawn.

   3. To come as if by dropping down.
      • 1898, William Le Queux, Whoso Findeth a Wife, page 256:

        Once or twice a noise fell upon his quick ear, and we halted, he standing revolver in hand in an attitude of defense. Each time, however, we ascertained that we had no occasion for alarm, the noise being made by some animal or bird  ...

      • 1904, Bram Stoker, The Jewel of Seven Stars, page 248:

        And then a sudden calm fell on us like a cloud of fear. There! on the table, lay the Jewel of Seven Stars, shining and sparkling with lurid light, as though each of the seven points of each of the seven stars gleamed through blood!

      • 1971, Henry Raup Wagner, Spanish Explorations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca:

        Shortly afterwards a breeze came up from the N […] dark clouds closing in over everything. At 3 in the afternoon the breeze came up from the S with a thick drizzle. Thus night fell, and thus we passed the rest of it.

   4. To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself.

      He fell to the floor and begged for mercy.

   5. To be brought to the ground.
2. (transitive) To move downwards.
   1. (obsolete) To let fall; to drop.
      • 1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto), London: […] Richard Field, for Iohn Harrison, […], →OCLC ↗:

        For every tear he falls, a Trojan bleeds.

   2. (obsolete) To sink; to depress.

      to fall the voice

   3. (UK, US, dialect, archaic) To fell; to cut down.

      to fall a tree

3. (intransitive) To change, often negatively.
   1. (copulative, in idiomatic expressions) To become.

      She has fallen ill.

      The children fell asleep in the back of the car.

      When did you first fall in love?

      fall silent, fall sick, fall pregnant, fall victim to something

      • 1855 December – 1857 June, Charles Dickens, chapter 1, in Little Dorrit, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1857, →OCLC ↗, book the first (Poverty), page 27 ↗:

        At length they stood at the corner from which they had begun, and it had fallen quite dark, and they were no wiser.

      • 1971, Henry Raup Wagner, Spanish Explorations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca:

        Shortly afterwards a breeze came up from the N and then it fell calm, […]

   2. (intransitive) To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated.

      Rome fell to the Goths in 410 AD.

   3. (intransitive, formal, euphemistic) To die, especially in battle or by disease.

      This is a monument to all those who fell in the First World War.

   4. (intransitive) To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.).

      The candidate's poll ratings fell abruptly after the banking scandal.

      • 1612, John Davies, Discoverie of the True Causes why Ireland was never entirely subdued:

        The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished.

      • 1835, Sir John Ross, Sir James Clark Ross, Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Vol.1 ↗, pages 284–5:

        Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.

4. To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); to happen.

   Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.

   Last year, Commencement fell on June 3.

5. (intransitive) To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.

   And so it falls to me to make this important decision.

   The estate fell to his brother.

   The kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.

   • 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC ↗, canto II:

     If to her share some female errors fall, / Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.

6. (transitive, obsolete) To diminish; to lessen or lower.
   • 1691, [John Locke], Some Considerations of the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest, and Raising the Value of Money. […], London: […] Awnsham and John Churchill, […], published 1692, →OCLC ↗:

     Upon lessening interest to four per cent, you fall the price of your native commodities.

7. (transitive, obsolete) To bring forth.

   to fall lambs

   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene iii]:

     The shepherd […] did […] fall part-colour'd lambs

8. (intransitive, obsolete) To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals.
9. (intransitive) To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Hebrews 4:1 ↗:

     Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

10. (intransitive) To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before.

    to fall into error;  to fall into difficulties

11. (intransitive) To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face.
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Genesis 4:5 ↗:

      Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

    • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC ↗, Act I, scene i, page 4 ↗:

      I have observed of late thy looks are fallen.

12. (intransitive) To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon).
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC ↗, Ruth 3:18 ↗:

      Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.

    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene ii]:

      […] An the worst fall that ever fell, I hope I shall make shift to go without him.

    • 1701, [Jonathan Swift], “Chapter I”, in A Discourse of the Contests and Dissensions between the Nobles and the Commons in Athens and Rome, with the Consequences They Had upon Both Those States, London: […] John Nutt […], →OCLC ↗, page 9 ↗:

      […] Polybius tells us, the beſt Government is that which conſiſts of three Forms, Regno, Optimatium, & Populi imperio. Which may be fairly Tranſlated, the Kings, Lords and Commons. […] the Romans fell upon this Model purely by chance, (which I take to have been Nature and common Reaſon) but the Spartans by Thought and Deſign.

    • 1879, Herbert Spencer, Principles of Sociology Volume II – Part IV: Ceremonial Institutions

      Primitive men […] do not make laws, they fall into customs.

13. (intransitive) To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry.

    After arguing, they fell to blows.

    • 1881, Benjamin Jowett (Thucydides)

      They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul.

14. (intransitive) To be dropped or uttered carelessly.

    An unguarded expression fell from his lips.

15. (intransitive, of a fabric) To hang down under the influence of gravity.

    An Empire-style dress has a high waistline – directly under the bust – from which the dress falls all the way to a hem as low as the floor.

16. (intransitive, slang, AAVE) To visit; to go to a place.

    We'll fall over to the club tonight.

• (move to a lower position under the effect of gravity) drop, plummet, plunge
• (come down) come down, descend, drop
• (come to the ground deliberately) drop, lower oneself, prostrate oneself
• (be brought to the ground)
• (collapse; be overthrown or defeated): be beaten by, be defeated by, be overthrown by, be smitten by, be vanquished by,
• (die) die
• (be allotted to) be the responsibility of, be up to
• (become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc)): dip, drop
• (become) become, get
• (cause (something) to descend to the ground): cut down (of a tree), fell, knock down, knock over, strike down

• (antonym(s) of “come down”): ascend, go up, rise
• (antonym(s) of “come to the ground deliberately”): get up, pick up, stand up
• (collapse; be overthrown or defeated): beat, defeat, overthrow, smite, vanquish
• (become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc)): rise

• French: tomber, chuter, choir
• German: fallen
• Italian: cadere, cascare
• Portuguese: cair
• Russian: па́дать
• Spanish: caer, caerse

• French: tomber, descendre
• German: fallen
• Italian: scendere
• Portuguese: cair
• Russian: па́дать
• Spanish: descender

• Italian: prostrarsi
• Portuguese: cair
• Russian: па́дать

• French: être renversé, tomber
• German: fallen
• Italian: deporre, rovesciare
• Portuguese: cair, tombar

• Italian: cadere
• Portuguese: cair
• Spanish: colapsar

• French: mourir
• German: fallen
• Italian: cadere, morire
• Portuguese: tombar
• Russian: пасть
• Spanish: morir

• French: (à) revenir, (sur) retomber, (à) incomber
• German: fallen, zufallen
• Italian: cadere, arrivare
• Portuguese: falhar

• French: devenir, tomber
• German: fallen, werden
• Italian: diventare, divenire, cadere
• Portuguese: ficar
• Spanish: caer

fall

1. The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
2. A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.
   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter I, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC ↗:

     “I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.

3. (chiefly, North America, archaic in Britain) The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice. [from 16th c.]
4. A loss of greatness or status.

   the fall of Rome

5. That which falls or cascades.
6. (sport) A crucial event or circumstance.
   1. (cricket, of a wicket) The action of a batsman being out.
   2. (curling) A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction.
   3. (wrestling) An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat.
7. A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss.
8. (informal, US) Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed.

   He set up his rival to take the fall.

9. (nautical) The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural).

   Have the goodness to secure the falls of the mizzen halyards.

10. An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells.
11. A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker.
12. The lid, on a piano, that covers the keyboard.

• (act of moving to a lower position) descent, drop
• (reduction) decrease, dip, drop, lowering, reduction
• (season) autumn, (UK dialect) harvest, (UK dialect) back end
• (loss of greatness or status) downfall
• (blame; punishment) rap

• (antonym(s) of “act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity”): ascent, rise
• (antonym(s) of “reduction”): increase, rise
• (antonym(s) of “loss of greatness or status”): ascent, rise

• French: chute
• German: Fall, Absturz
• Italian: caduta
• Portuguese: queda
• Russian: паде́ние
• Spanish: caída

• French: déclin
• German: Niedergang
• Portuguese: decadência
• Russian: спад
• Spanish: decadencia

• French: déclin, chute
• German: Fall, Untergang
• Portuguese: queda
• Russian: паде́ние
• Spanish: caída

Perhaps from the north-eastern Scottish pronunciation of whale.

1. (nautical) The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned.

fall (plural falls)

1. (nautical) The chasing of a hunted whale.

1. (theology) The sudden fall of humanity into a state of sin, as brought about by the transgression of Adam and Eve. [from 14th c.]

• German: Sündenfall
• Portuguese: Queda
• Russian: грехопаде́ние

1. Surname.