TKG English Learner's Dictionary

fall

fallverb

American /fɔl/ British /fɔːl/ also (American) /fɑl/ Many American speakers say fall with the vowel of father. Fall rhymes with ball and call.
third-person singular falls past tense fell past participle fallen present participle falling
very commondefining vocabulary

To fall is to go down, whether it is an object, a person, an amount, or darkness, or to move into a new state as if going down into it.

  1. drop downmove down toward the ground, by accident or because nothing is holding it up

    intransitive [I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep]

    Collocations

    noun + verb rain falls, snow falls, leaves fall
    verb + preposition fall from something, fall off something, fall into something, fall onto something

    Synonyms drop

    Compare drop

  2. stop standingsuddenly go down onto the ground while you are walking or standing

    intransitive [I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep]

    Collocations

    verb + adverb fall down, fall over, fall badly, fall heavily
    verb + preposition fall down the stairs, fall off a ladder, fall off a bike

  3. go lowerbecome lower in amount, level, or value

    intransitive [I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep]

    Collocations

    noun + verb prices fall, temperatures fall, numbers fall, sales fall
    verb + adverb fall sharply, fall steadily, fall slightly
    verb + preposition fall by an amount, fall to a level

    Synonyms drop; decrease

    Antonyms rise; increase; climb

    Compare decrease

  4. becomechange into a new state or condition

    Used with a small set of words, such as asleep, ill, silent, quiet, in love, and into + a noun (fall into debt). Other adjectives take become or get.

    linking [L] verb + adjective [V + adj] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    phrase fall asleep, fall ill, fall silent, fall in love, fall into debt

    Synonyms become

  5. on a dayhappen on a particular day or date

    intransitive [I] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + preposition fall on a day, fall in a month

  6. of night or silencecome and spread over a place

    Used with words such as night, darkness, silence, a shadow, or light as the subject.

    intransitive [I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep]

    Collocations

    noun + verb night falls, darkness falls, silence falls

  7. lose powerlose power or position

    intransitive [I] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + preposition fall from power, fall from grace

  8. be takenbe taken by an enemy in a war

    intransitive [I] verb + preposition + object [V + prep + obj]

    Collocations

    verb + preposition fall to someone, fall into the hands of someone

  9. hang downhang down loosely

    intransitive [I] verb + adverb or preposition [V + adv/prep]

Phrases

fall short

not be as good, as big, or as much as was hoped or needed

Often followed by of + a noun: fall short of a goal.

fall flat

not have the effect that was wanted, such as making people laugh or making them interested

Word family

  • fall
  • fallen

Choosing between fall · drop

Fall is used when something goes down by itself: The glass fell off the table. Drop can mean the same, but it can also mean letting something fall: I dropped the glass. Fall never takes an object.

Common mistakes

I fell the glass. I dropped the glass.
Fall has no object. To make something go down, use drop or knock over.
Yesterday I falled down. Yesterday I fell down.
The past tense is fell and the past participle is fallen.
I felt down the stairs. I fell down the stairs.
Fell is the past of fall; felt is the past of feel.

See also fall down; fall over; fall apart; fall behind; fall out; fall through; fall for

For translators

Meaning across languages "fall": the uses with asleep, ill, and in love are often translated with a different verb from the one for dropping down.
Grammar trap "fall" never takes an object. To make something go down, English uses drop or knock over: I dropped my phone, not I fell my phone.