From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfallfall1 /fɔːl $ fɒːl/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense fell /fel/, past participle fallen /ˈfɔːlən $ ˈfɒːl-/) 1 move downwards [intransitive]FALL to move or drop down from a higher position to a lower position The tree was about to fall. The book fell from his hands. Enough rain had fallen to flood the grounds.fall down Rob fell down the stairs. She flushed and her eyes fell (=she looked down).2 stop standing/walking etc [intransitive]FALL to suddenly go down onto the ground after you have been standing, walking, or running, especially without intending to I fell and hit my head.slip/stumble/trip etc and fall He slipped and fell on the ice.fall down Lizzie fell down and hurt her knee. Peter was playing by the river when he fell in (=fell into the water).fall to/on your knees (=move down to the ground so that your body is resting on your knees) She fell to her knees beside his body. → fall flat on your face at flat3(5)3 decrease [intransitive]LESS to go down to a lower level, amount, price etc, especially a much lower one OPP rise The rate of inflation was falling. The island is warm all year round and winter temperatures never fall below 10 degrees. He believes that educational standards are falling.fall from Advertising revenue fell from $98.5 million to $93.3 million.fall to The number of subscribers had fallen to 1,000.fall sharply/steeply (=by a large amount) London share prices fell sharply yesterday.► see thesaurus at decreaseRegisterIn everyday English, people often say an amount or level goes down rather than falls:House prices have gone down again.4 become [intransitive, linking verb]BECOME to start to be in a new or different statefall adj I’ll stay with her until she falls asleep. I think that I’ve fallen in love with Angela. She fell ill with flu. Albert fell silent and turned his attention to his food.fall into The house was empty for many years and fell into disrepair. One false step can mean falling into debt. He fell into despair.5 belong to a group [intransitive always + preposition]LIKE/SIMILAR to belong to or be part of a particular group, area of responsibility, range of things, or type of thingsfall into Many illnesses fall into the category of stress-related illnesses. Leaders fall into two categories.fall within The judge said that this matter did not fall within the scope of the auditor’s duties.fall under The job falls under the heading of ‘sales and marketing’. Meat production falls under the control of the Agriculture Department.6 → fall short of something7 → fall victim/prey to something/somebody8 → night/darkness/dusk falls9 → silence/a hush/sadness etc falls10 START DOING somethingstart doing something [intransitive] to start doing something or being involved with something, often without intending to I fell into conversation with some guys from New York. He had fallen into the habit of having a coffee every time he passed the coffee machine. 11 → fall into place12 → fall to pieces/bits13 → be falling to pieces/bits14 → fall flat15 → fall foul of somebody/something16 → fall by the wayside17 → fall from grace/favour18 → fall from a great height19 → fall into the hands/clutches of somebody20 → fall into a trap/pitfall21 → fall into step22 → fall into line23 hang down [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]DOWN to hang down looselyfall over His dark hair fell over his face.24 light/shadow [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]LIGHT to shine on a surface or go onto a surface The last rays of sunlight were falling on the fields. Arthur’s shadow fell across the doorway.25 special event/celebration [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]HAPPEN to happen on a particular day or at a particular time I’d like to dedicate this record to all whose anniversaries fall at this time of year.fall on Her birthday will fall on a Friday this year.26 lose power [intransitive]PG if a leader or a government falls, they lose their position of power The previous government fell after only 6 months in office.27 be taken by an enemy [intransitive]PMPPV if a place falls in a war or an election, a group of soldiers or a political party takes control of itfall to The city fell to the advancing Russian armies. 28 be killed [intransitive]DIE to be killed in a war SYN die29 hit [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]HIT to hit a particular place or a particular part of someone’s bodyfall on The first punch fell on his nose.30 voice/sound [intransitive]QUIET if someone’s voice or a sound falls, it becomes quieter or lower OPP rise31 → it’s as easy as falling off a log32 → fall between two stools33 → fall on stony ground34 → fall from somebody’s lips35 → fall into somebody’s lap36 → the stress/accent/beat falls on something → be/fall under a spell at spell2(3), → fall on your feet at foot1(19), → somebody’s face fell at face1, → stand or fall by/on at stand1(33)THESAURUSfall (also fall over, fall down) to suddenly go down onto the floor when standing, walking, or runningShe fell on the stairs and broke her ankle.Children are always falling over.trip on/over something to fall or almost fall when you hit your foot against somethingSomeone might trip over those toys.I tripped on a piece of wood.slip to fall or almost fall when you are walking on a wet or very smooth surfaceShe slipped and hurt her ankle.I was scared I would slip on the highly polished floor.stumble to almost fall when you put your foot down in an awkward wayHe stumbled and almost fell.One of our porters stumbled on the rough ground. collapse to fall suddenly and heavily to the ground, especially when you become unconsciousOne of the runners collapsed halfway through the race.lose your balance to become unsteady so that you start to fall overShe lost her balance on the first step and fell down the stairs. Have something to hold onto, in case you lose your balance.fall flat on your face to fall forwards so you are lying on your front on the groundShe fell flat on her face getting out of the car. → fall about → fall apart → fall away → fall back → fall back into something → fall back on somebody/something → fall behind (somebody/something) → fall down → fall for somebody/something → fall in → fall into something → fall in with somebody/something → fall off → fall on/upon somebody/something → fall out → fall over → fall through → fall to somebody/something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
fall• Aston Villa fell 3 places in the league after their defeat by Barnsley.• Its price fell 75 yen per 50,000 in face value.• A light rain was falling.• George held on tightly, afraid that he might fall.• I sat in bed, listening to the rain fall.• Just as we were about to leave the house, rain began to fall.• She was going up the stairs when she fell.• Mabel Boll was exactly the kind of person upon whom Guest was determined the mantle of fame would not fall.• Don't worry - I'll catch you if you fall.• A shadow fell across his face, hiding his expression.• A tree had fallen across the road and blocked it.• Katie fell and scraped her knee.• Mukhamedov's defection two years ago, just as Communism was falling apart, will not be forgiven in a hurry.• One of the climbers fell fifty feet.• Leaves were falling from the trees.• A man tall and princely-looking was sitting by the hearth where the firelight fell full on him.• He reportedly fell in battle on June 17th.• He remembered Hause Point, he remembered the abyss he had so often fallen into.• It is mature and spontaneous utterance falling like ripe leaves on a still day in the fall of the year.• She watched the keys fall, noting that they fell more slowly than they would have done on the Earth.• Bombs fell on the streets, destroying neighbouring homes, but leaving the school intact.• Darkness fell on the town and the streetlights came on one by one.• One of the glasses had fallen on to its side and a red stain had spread from it on to the tablecloth.• Careful that box doesn't fall on you, Charlotte!• I can't find my passport - it must have fallen out of my pocket.• Fred fell out of the tree and broke his arm.• She opened the cupboard and everything fell out.• Maria's hair fell over her shoulders.eyes fell• Albert's eyes fell, and he blushed.• Then her eyes fell briefly on the painting her grandmother had given her.• As he scanned the room for potential defenders his eyes fell on Father Ed Dougherty.• My eyes fell on the bed and to my horror something began slowly to stir under the blanket.• A fierce, terrified elation raced through her veins as her eyes fell on the knife only an inch away from her hand.• Its huge eyes fell on the scrap of paper on the floor.• He helped me shift the tea-chests and his eyes fell on your clothes as though dazed in a perfumed garden.• His eyes fell to the bottom of the page.fall to/on your knees• A woman, gone faint, fell to her knees.• As Nelson paraded in front of the jury, the pants fell to his knees.• Francis Lee received a little kick and fell on his knees.• Too fast for his shorter legs and he fell on his knees.• He fell to his knees before her.• She fell on her knees before them and begged them to take her with them.• The mestizo fell to his knees, but he still held the knife.• He screamed in agony and fell to his knees, cradling his broken nose between his bloodied hands. fall sharply/steeply• After that, volumes were expected to fall sharply.• London share prices also fell sharply.• The Potomac was clean again, a haven for windsurfers, and certain airborne pollutants had fallen sharply.• Yet the jobless rate is falling sharply.• Sales of units fell sharply after the crash of October 1987.• Leading market indices in Britain and the United States fell sharply after the report was published.• Sickness absence overall fell sharply last year by almost 0.5 percent of working time from the 1991 figure of 4.0 percent.• While weak earnings forecasts caused many stocks to fall sharply, unexpectedly strong outlooks or actual earnings were rewarded.fall into• These substances fall into two categories.fall under• Her earlier books would fall under the heading of historical fiction. fallen into the habit of• The company had fallen into the habit of using George to administer a sort of organizational shock therapy.fall over• That bookcase looks as if it's about to fall over.• There was no wind; the tree just fell over.fall on• Christmas falls on a Thursday this year. fall to• Last year, it fell to 17 percent.• Last year solid waste totalled 227,000 tonnes but this is forecast to fall to 206,000 tonnes this year.• The stock later fell to 214. 50, up 1. 66 percent.• The cave continues but then suddenly falls to horrendous depths and a retreat must be made to the point of entry.• The proportion of married women falls to just over two in ten, and the proportion widowed rises to nearly two-thirds.• Some analysts expect cellular growth to fall to single digits in a few years.• The honour of the reception always fell to the family of the bride.• There followed a crash and a rending of fabric and I fell to the ground.fallfall2 ●●● S2 W2 noun 1 movement down [countable]FALL movement down towards the ground or towards a lower position the first fall of autumn leaves The rise and fall of the dancers’ bodies creates a pattern. Mrs Evans had a fall (=fell to the ground) and broke her leg. He stretched out his hands to break his fall (=prevent himself from falling too quickly and hurting himself).2 reduction [countable]LESS a reduction in the amount, level, price etc of something OPP risefall in There has been a fall in oil prices.sharp/steep fall the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countriesfall of Their industrial output went down again in December, which meant a fall of 2.2% over the year.3 season [singular] American EnglishDN the season between summer and winter, when leaves change colour and the weather becomes slightly colder SYN autumn Eleanor plans to go to Southwestern Community College this fall. The area is beautiful in the fall.4 loss of power/success [singular]PG a situation in which someone or something loses their position of power or becomes unsuccessfulfall from The president lived on for twenty years after his fall from power. the story of Napoleon’s rise and fall (=period of success followed by failure) Rumours are that the company is heading for a fall (=is likely to fail soon).5 → fall from grace6 defeat [singular]BEAT/DEFEAT a situation in which a country, city etc is defeated by an enemyfall of the fall of Jerusalem in AD70 7 → falls8 sport [countable]DSO an act of forcing your opponent onto the ground in wrestling or judo9 snow/rocks [countable]FALL an amount of snow, rocks etc that falls onto the groundfall of Fresh falls of snow were forecast. The road is blocked by a rock fall.10 → the FallGRAMMAR: Patterns with fall (meaning 3)in the fall/in fall• You use in the fall or in fall when talking about something that happens during the fall season: He visited them in the fall.in the fall of• You use in the fall of with a year when saying when something happens: The project will be completed in the fall of 2018.last fall/this fall etcDon’t use in with these words:• You say last fall: She started college last fall. ✗Don’t say: She started college in last fall.• You say this fall: This fall the leaves are really beautiful. ✗Don’t say: In this fall the leaves are really beautiful.• You say next fall: The book will come out next fall. ✗Don’t say: The book will come out in next fall.• You say that fall: That fall I went to Kyoto. ✗Don’t say: In that fall I went to Kyoto.Examples from the Corpus
fall• Fall is my favorite season.• There was a dramatic fall in temperature overnight.• Floyd investigated it soon after free fall had begun.• It's one of the heaviest falls of snow on record.• Senate attempts to include the provision failed three times last fall when supporters were unable to cut off debate.• The positioning of the stones will determine the type of fall.• It's a movie about the fall of France in 1940.• Here, the fall is 48 percent since the objective was introduced.• I sat listening to the fall of the rain on the roof.• It seemed that the wind had dropped a little with the fall of night.break ... fall• The crucifix had been broken by its fall.• Then the wave curled, broke, and fell.• Not break, fall or cry each time a hateful picture drifted in front of her face.• Wreckage in the vicinity of the break point fell first and was recovered in the westernmost of three major debris fields.• When you fall forward, fully conscious or not, you put out your hands to break your fall.• It is down, straight down, into the rank and file, and there is nothing to break the fall.• Half blinded by the foam, Christine scrambled for something to grab on to to break her fall.sharp/steep fall• There has been a sharp fall in the number of reported rapes involving strangers; these account for 12 % of attacks.• Separately, shares in forestry companies declined amid forecasts of a steep fall in cellulose prices, analysts said.• Two rival companies, Toshiba and Hitachi, saw a steep fall in profits.• As a result we have seen a sharp fall in the numbers who sleep rough on our streets.• An inadequate person in a job can lead to a sharp fall in morale or sales.• Whether the steep falls of yesterday turn into something more serious remains to be seen.• The steep fall in interest rates over the past two years has boosted their operating profits enormously. rise and fall• Her chest glistened, and rose and fell with her breathing.• Here white graves are garnished with angels, rising and falling down to the brink of the sea.• Over and over again, for twenty-five minutes, the heads rose and fell before the final triumphant cry of Allah hu-Akbar!• Meanwhile, that part of the building shifted, rising and falling with the seasons, and the floors creaked constantly.• It was like being in a loo that rose and fell.• We decided to withdraw, to return to a timescale measured by the rise and fall of the sun.• Jailed gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray were reputed to have earned £250,000 for the film about their rise and fall.• There, rising and falling with her every breath.Fall, thethe FallFall, the noun [S] the story in the Bible that tells how Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, disobeyed God. According to the story, God forbids Adam and Eve from eating the fruit (sometimes called ‘the apple’) on the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. The serpent (=snake) persuades Eve to taste the fruit, and then Eve gives the fruit to Adam to eat. They are ashamed of disobeying God and wear fig leaves because they are also now ashamed of having no clothes on. When they tell God that they have eaten the fruit he sends them out of the Garden of Eden. This story is supposed to describe the way that human beings first learnt about the difference between good and evil.From Longman Business Dictionaryfallfall1 /fɔːlfɒːl/ verb (past tense fell /fel/, past participle fallen /ˈfɔːlənˈfɒː-/)1[intransitive] to go down to a lower price, level, amount etcSales of new passenger cars in Europe fell 9.6%.fall toThe British pound fell to $1.7520 from $1.7850.The company went public at $17 a share, but its stock price has fallen sharply since then.The consumer confidence index fell steeply (=by a large amount) from 79.3 in May to 50.9 in October.2fall due if a payment falls due on or by a particular date, it must be made on or by that dateSubscriptions are payable annually and fall due on 1 December.Of these sums, $44.2 million fell due for repayment within one year and a further $22 million fell due after more than one year. → fall away → fall back → fall behind → fall off → fall through→ See Verb tablefallfall2 noun1[countable] a reduction in the amount, level, price etc of somethingfall inJapanese companies have tried to make up for a fall in domestic demand by increasing sales overseas.There has been a sharp fall in the price of copper.The steep fall in the Nikkei index means interest rates will stay low.2[singular] when a person or organization loses their position of power or becomes unsuccessfulthe rise and fall of the British motorcycle industryOrigin fall1 Old English feallan 