fall
verb
fɔːl 
fɔːl fel fel ˈfɔːlən ˈfɔːlən drop down
1 [intransitive] to drop down from a higher level to a lower levelSeptember had come and the leaves were starting to fall.They were injured by falling rocks.+ adverb/preposition Several of the books had fallen onto the floor.One of the kids fell into the river.The handle had fallen off the drawer.He fell 20 metres onto the rocks below.The rain was falling steadily.stop standing
2 [intransitive] to suddenly stop standingShe slipped on the ice and fell.+ adverb/preposition I fell over and cut my knee.The house looked as if it was about to fall down. see also fallenof hair/material
3 [intransitive] + adverb/preposition to hang downHer hair fell over her shoulders in a mass of curls.slope downwards
4 [intransitive] fall (away/off) to slope downwardsThe land falls away sharply towards the river.decrease
5 [intransitive] to decrease in amount, number or strengthTheir profits have fallen by 30 per cent.Prices continued to fall on the stock market today.The temperature fell sharply in the night.falling birth ratesHer voice fell to a whisper.+ noun Share prices fell 30p.Opposite
risebe defeated
6 [intransitive] to be defeated or capturedThe coup failed but the government fell shortly afterwards.fall to somebody Troy finally fell to the Greeks.die in battle
7 [intransitive] (literary) to die in battle; to be shota memorial to those who fell in the two world warsbecome
8 [intransitive] to pass into a particular state; to begin to be something+ adjective He had fallen asleep on the sofa.The book fell open at a page of illustrations.The room had fallen silent.She fell ill soon after and did not recover.fall into something I had fallen into conversation with a man on the train.The house had fallen into disrepair.+ noun She knew she must not fall prey to his charm.happen/occur
9 [intransitive] (literary) to come quickly and suddenlySynonym
descendA sudden silence fell.Darkness falls quickly in the tropics.fall on somebody/something An expectant hush fell on the guests.10 [intransitive] + adverb/preposition to happen or take placeMy birthday falls on a Monday this year.11 [intransitive] + adverb/preposition to move in a particular direction or come in a particular positionMy eye fell on (= I suddenly saw) a curious object.Which syllable does the stress fall on?A shadow fell across her face.belong to group
12 [intransitive] + adverb/preposition to belong to a particular class, group or area of responsibilityOut of over 400 staff there are just 7 that fall into this category.This case falls outside my jurisdiction.This falls under the heading of scientific research.Idioms
Idioms containing fall are at the entries for the nouns and adjectives in the idioms, for example fall by the wayside is at wayside.
Phrasal verbs
fall about
(British English, informal) to laugh a lotfall doing something We all fell about laughing.fall apart
1 to be in very bad condition so that parts are breaking offMy car is falling apart.2 to have so many problems that it is no longer possible to exist or functionTheir marriage finally fell apart.The deal fell apart when we failed to agree on a price.fall away
to become gradually fewer or smaller; to disappearHis supporters fell away as his popularity declined.The market for their products fell away to almost nothing.All our doubts fell away.The houses fell away as we left the city.fall back
1 to move or turn backSynonym
retreatThe enemy fell back as our troops advanced.2 to decrease in value or amountShare prices fell back after brisk early trading.fall back on somebody/something
[no passive] to go to somebody for support; to have something to use when you are in difficultyI have a little money in the bank to fall back on.She fell back on her usual excuse of having no time. related noun fallbackfall behind (somebody/something)
to fail to keep level with somebody/somethingShe soon fell behind the leaders.fall behind with something
(also fall behind on something especially in North American English) to not pay or do something at the right timeThey had fallen behind on their mortgage repayments.He's fallen behind with his school work again.fall down
to be shown to be not true or not good enoughAnd that's where the theory falls down. see also fall verb (2)fall for somebody
[no passive] (informal) to be strongly attracted to somebody; to fall in love with somebodyThey fell for each other instantly.fall for something
[no passive] (informal) to be tricked into believing something that is not trueI'm surprised you fell for that trick.fall in
if soldiers fall in, they form linesThe sergeant ordered his men to fall in.fall in with somebody/something
[no passive] (British English) to agree to somethingShe fell in with my idea at once.fall into something
to be able to be divided into somethingMy talk falls naturally into three parts.fall off
to decrease in quantity or qualityAttendance at my lectures has fallen off considerably.Opposite
risefall on/upon somebody/something
[no passive] (especially British English)1 to attack or take hold of somebody/something with a lot of energy and enthusiasmThey fell on him with sticks.The children fell on the food and ate it greedily.2 to be the responsibility of somebodyThe full cost of the wedding fell on us.fall out
1 to become loose and dropHis hair is falling out.My tooth fell out.2 if soldiers fall out, they leave their lines and move awayfall out (with somebody)
(British English) to have an argument with somebody so that you are no longer friendly with themfall over
(informal) (of a computer or program) to stop working suddenlyMy spreadsheet keeps falling over.fall over somebody/something
[no passive] to hit your foot against something when you are walking and fall, or almost fallSynonym
trip overI rushed for the door and fell over the cat in the hallway. see also fall verb (2)fall over yourself to do something
(informal) to try very hard or want very much to do somethingHe was falling over himself to be nice to me.fall through
to not be completed, or not happenOur plans fell through because of lack of money.fall to somebody
to become the duty or responsibility of somebodyWith his partner away, all the work now fell to him.it falls to somebody to do something It fell to me to inform her of her son's death.fall to something
(literary) to begin to do something~ doing somethingShe fell to brooding about what had happened to her.
Usage note: fallDescribing a decreaseCar crime in Oxford fell significantly last year.Car crime fell by about a quarter over a 12-month period.The number of stolen vehicles dropped from 1013 to 780, a fall of 26 per cent.According to this data, 780 vehicles were stolen, 26% down on the previous year.There was an 11% drop in reported thefts from motor vehicles, from 1871 to 1737.These figures show that, as far as car crime is concerned, the main trend is downwards. Language Banks at expect, illustrate, increase, proportion