Dictionary entry details
• FALL (noun)
Meaning:
The season when the leaves fall from the trees
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Synonyms:
autumn; fall
Context example:
in the fall of 1973
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
season; time of year (one of the natural periods into which the year is divided by the equinoxes and solstices or atmospheric conditions)
Meronyms (parts of "fall"):
autumnal equinox; fall equinox; September equinox (September 22)
Indian summer; Saint Martin's summer (a period of unusually warm weather in the autumn)
Meaning:
A sudden drop from an upright position
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
fall; tumble; spill
Context example:
he had a nasty spill on the ice
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
slip; trip (an accidental misstep threatening (or causing) a fall)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
pratfall (a fall onto your buttocks)
wipeout (a spill in some sport (as a fall from a bicycle or while skiing or being capsized on a surfboard))
Meaning:
The lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
women have been blamed ever since the Fall
Instance hypernyms:
event (something that happens at a given place and time)
Meaning:
A downward slope or bend
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Synonyms:
downslope; declivity; declination; declension; decline; fall; descent
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
incline; side; slope (an elevated geological formation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
downhill (the downward slope of a hill)
steep (a steep place (as on a hill))
Meaning:
A lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Context example:
a fall from virtue
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
sin; sinning (an act that is regarded by theologians as a transgression of God's will)
Meaning:
A sudden decline in strength or number or importance
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
downfall; fall
Context example:
the fall of the House of Hapsburg
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
weakening (becoming weaker)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
anticlimax (a disappointing decline after a previous rise)
Antonym:
rise (a growth in strength or number or importance)
Meaning:
A movement downward
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
the rise and fall of the tides
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
change of location; travel (a movement through space that changes the location of something)
Antonym:
rise (a movement upward)
Meaning:
The act of surrendering (under agreed conditions)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
capitulation; surrender; fall
Context example:
they were protected until the capitulation of the fort
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
loss (the act of losing)
Meaning:
The time of day immediately following sunset
Classified under:
Nouns denoting time and temporal relations
Synonyms:
twilight; nightfall; gloaming; gloam; evenfall; dusk; crepuscule; crepuscle; fall
Context examples:
he loved the twilight / they finished before the fall of night
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
hour; time of day (clock time)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
night (a shortening of nightfall)
Holonyms ("fall" is a part of...):
eve; even; evening; eventide (the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall))
Meaning:
When a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
pin; fall
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
triumph; victory (a successful ending of a struggle or contest)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
takedown ((amateur wrestling) being brought to the mat from a standing position)
Holonyms ("fall" is a part of...):
wrestling match (a match between wrestlers)
Meaning:
A free and rapid descent by the force of gravity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
drop; fall
Context example:
it was a miracle that he survived the drop from that height
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
gravitation (movement downward resulting from gravitational attraction)
descent (a movement downward)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
precipitation (the act of casting down or falling headlong from a height)
plunge (a steep and rapid fall)
free fall (the ideal falling motion of something subject only to a gravitational field)
Meaning:
A sudden sharp decrease in some quantity
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Synonyms:
free fall; drop; dip; fall
Context examples:
a drop of 57 points on the Dow Jones index / there was a drop in pressure in the pulmonary artery / a dip in prices / when that became known the price of their stock went into free fall
Hypernyms ("fall" is a kind of...):
decrease; decrement (the amount by which something decreases)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fall"):
correction (a drop in stock market activity or stock prices following a period of increases)
voltage drop (a decrease in voltage along a conductor through which current is flowing)
• FALL (verb)
Meaning:
Descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context examples:
The branch fell from the tree / The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
go down; descend; come down; fall
Context examples:
The temperature is going down / The barometer is falling / The curtain fell on the diva / Her hand went up and then fell again
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall"):
topple; tumble (fall down, as if collapsing)
drop (to fall vertically)
plop (drop with the sound of something falling into water)
pitch (fall or plunge forward)
alight; climb down (come down)
go down; go under; settle; sink (go under,)
pounce; swoop (move down on as if in an attack)
drip (fall in drops)
cascade; cascade down (rush down in big quantities, like a cascade)
flop (fall suddenly and abruptly)
crash (fall or come down violently)
prolapse (slip or fall out of place, as of body parts)
abseil; rappel; rope down (lower oneself with a double rope coiled around the body from a mountainside)
dismount; get down; get off; light; unhorse (get off (a horse))
avalanche; roll down (gather into a huge mass and roll down a mountain, of snow)
dive; plunge; plunk (drop steeply)
go down; go under; set (disappear beyond the horizon)
correct; decline; slump (go down in value)
precipitate (fall vertically, sharply, or headlong)
sink; subside (descend into or as if into some soft substance or place)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Sentence example:
The airplane is sure to fall
Antonym:
rise (move upward)
Also:
fall in (break down, literally or metaphorically)
Meaning:
Pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context examples:
fall into a trap / She fell ill / They fell out of favor / Fall in love / fall asleep / fall prey to an imposter / fall into a strange way of thinking / she fell to pieces after she lost her work
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change state; turn (undergo a transformation or a change of position or action)
Also:
fall for (be deceived, duped, or entrapped by)
fall flat; fall through; flop; founder (fail utterly; collapse)
dawdle; fall back; fall behind; lag (hang (back) or fall (behind) in movement, progress, development, etc.)
drop off; fall back; fall behind; lose; recede (retreat)
crumble; fall apart (break or fall apart into fragments)
break; come apart; fall apart; separate; split up (become separated into pieces or fragments)
drop away; drop off; fall away; slip (get worse)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall"):
fall in love (begin to experience feelings of love towards)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Somebody ----s Adjective
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Come under, be classified or included
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
fall; come
Context examples:
fall into a category / This comes under a new heading
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Fall from clouds
Classified under:
Verbs of raining, snowing, thawing, thundering
Synonyms:
come down; precipitate; fall
Context examples:
rain, snow and sleet were falling / Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum
"Fall" entails doing...:
condense; distil; distill (undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall"):
rain; rain down (precipitate as rain)
spat (come down like raindrops)
snow (fall as snow)
hail (precipitate as small ice particles)
sleet (precipitate as a mixture of rain and snow)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Suffer defeat, failure, or ruin
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context examples:
We must stand or fall / fall by the wayside
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
fail; go wrong; miscarry (be unsuccessful)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Decrease in size, extent, or range
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
decrease; diminish; lessen; fall
Context examples:
The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester / The cabin pressure fell dramatically / her weight fall to under a hundred pounds / his voice fell to a whisper
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change magnitude (change in size or magnitude)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall"):
dwindle; dwindle away; dwindle down (become smaller or lose substance)
remit (diminish or abate)
de-escalate (diminish in size, scope, or intensity)
depreciate; devaluate; devalue; undervalue (lose in value)
shorten (become short or shorter)
thin out (become sparser)
decline; go down; wane (grow smaller)
wane (decrease in phase)
wane (become smaller)
decelerate; retard; slow; slow down; slow up (lose velocity; move more slowly)
decrescendo (grow quieter)
deflate (become deflated or flaccid, as by losing air)
abate; die away; let up; slack; slack off (become less in amount or intensity)
break (diminish or discontinue abruptly)
shrink; shrivel (decrease in size, range, or extent)
taper (diminish gradually)
drop off (fall or diminish)
fly; vanish; vaporize (decrease rapidly and disappear)
break (fall sharply)
ease off; ease up; flag; slacken off (become less intense)
weaken (become weaker)
boil down; concentrate; decoct; reduce (be cooked until very little liquid is left)
contract; shrink (become smaller or draw together)
shrink; shrivel; shrivel up; wither (wither, as with a loss of moisture)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Die, as in battle or in a hunt
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context examples:
Many soldiers fell at Verdun / Several deer have fallen to the same gun / The shooting victim fell dead
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
buy the farm; cash in one's chips; choke; conk; croak; decease; die; drop dead; exit; expire; give-up the ghost; go; kick the bucket; pass; pass away; perish; pop off; snuff it (pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
shine; strike; fall
Context examples:
Light fell on her face / The sun shone on the fields / The light struck the golden necklace / A strange sound struck my ears
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Be captured
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context example:
The cities fell to the enemy
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
yield (cease opposition; stop fighting)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Occur at a specified time or place
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context examples:
Christmas falls on a Monday this year / The accent falls on the first syllable
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
come about; fall out; go on; hap; happen; occur; pass; pass off; take place (come to pass)
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Yield to temptation or sin
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Adam and Eve fell
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
fall (lose one's chastity)
sin; transgress; trespass (commit a sin; violate a law of God or a moral law)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Lose office or power
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context examples:
The government fell overnight / The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
leave office; quit; resign; step down (give up or retire from a position)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
To be given by assignment or distribution
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context examples:
The most difficult task fell on the youngest member of the team / The onus fell on us / The pressure to succeed fell on the youngest student
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Move in a specified direction
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
The line of men fall forward
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Be due
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
payments fall on the 1st of the month
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Lose one's chastity
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
a fallen woman
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall"):
fall (yield to temptation or sin)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
To be given by right or inheritance
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Context example:
The estate fell to the oldest daughter
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Come into the possession of
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
accrue; fall
Context example:
The house accrued to the oldest son
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change hands; change owners (be transferred to another owner)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s somebody
Meaning:
Fall to somebody by assignment or lot
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
light; fall
Context examples:
The task fell to me / It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
devolve; fall; pass; return (be inherited by)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Meaning:
Be inherited by
Classified under:
Verbs of buying, selling, owning
Synonyms:
devolve; return; fall; pass
Context examples:
The estate fell to my sister / The land returned to the family / The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change hands; change owners (be transferred to another owner)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fall"):
fall; light (fall to somebody by assignment or lot)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s somebody
Meaning:
Slope downward
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context example:
The hills around here fall towards the ocean
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
incline; pitch; slope (be at an angle)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Lose an upright position suddenly
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
fall down; fall
Context examples:
The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table / Her hair fell across her forehead
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change posture (undergo a change in bodily posture)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context examples:
She fell back in her chair / He fell to his knees
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change posture (undergo a change in bodily posture)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s
Meaning:
Fall or flow in a certain way
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
flow; hang; fall
Context examples:
This dress hangs well / Her long black hair flowed down her back
Sentence frame:
Something ----s Adjective/Noun
Meaning:
Assume a disappointed or sad expression
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context examples:
Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off / his crest fell
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Be cast down
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
his eyes fell
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Come out; issue
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
silly phrases fell from her mouth
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
come forth; come out; egress; emerge; go forth; issue (come out of)
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Be born, used chiefly of lambs
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The lambs fell in the afternoon
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
be born (come into existence through birth)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Begin vigorously
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
The prisoners fell to work right away
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
begin; commence; get; get down; set about; set out; start; start out (take the first step or steps in carrying out an action)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s PP
Meaning:
Go as if by falling
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
Grief fell from our hearts
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
disappear; go away; vanish (get lost, as without warning or explanation)
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Come as if by falling
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
descend; settle; fall
Context examples:
Night fell / Silence fell
Hypernyms (to "fall" is one way to...):
come (come to pass; arrive, as in due course)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
