Fall - Definition

n 1: the season when the leaves fall from the trees; "in the
fall of 1973" [syn: fall, autumn]
2: a sudden drop from an upright position; "he had a nasty spill
on the ice" [syn: spill, tumble, fall]
3: the lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of
Adam and Eve; "women have been blamed ever since the Fall"
4: a downward slope or bend [syn: descent, declivity,
fall, decline, declination, declension, downslope]
[ant: acclivity, ascent, climb, raise, rise,
upgrade]
5: a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity; "a fall
from virtue"
6: a sudden decline in strength or number or importance; "the
fall of the House of Hapsburg" [syn: fall, downfall]
[ant: rise]
7: a movement downward; "the rise and fall of the tides" [ant:
ascension, ascent, rise, rising]
8: the act of surrendering (usually under agreed conditions);
"they were protected until the capitulation of the fort"
[syn: capitulation, fall, surrender]
9: the time of day immediately following sunset; "he loved the
twilight"; "they finished before the fall of night" [syn:
twilight, dusk, gloaming, gloam, nightfall,
evenfall, fall, crepuscule, crepuscle]
10: when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat [syn:
fall, pin]
11: a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity; "it was a
miracle that he survived the drop from that height" [syn:
drop, fall]
12: a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity; "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" [syn: drop, dip, fall, free fall]
v 1: descend in free fall under the influence of gravity; "The
branch fell from the tree"; "The unfortunate hiker fell
into a crevasse"
2: move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way;
"The temperature is going down"; "The barometer is falling";
"The curtain fell on the diva"; "Her hand went up and then
fell again" [syn: descend, fall, go down, come down]
[ant: arise, ascend, come up, go up, lift, move
up, rise, uprise]
3: pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind;
"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"
4: come under, be classified or included; "fall into a
category"; "This comes under a new heading" [syn: fall,
come]
5: fall from clouds; "rain, snow and sleet were falling";
"Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on
Herculaneum" [syn: precipitate, come down, fall]
6: suffer defeat, failure, or ruin; "We must stand or fall";
"fall by the wayside"
7: die, as in battle or in a hunt; "Many soldiers fell at
Verdun"; "Several deer have fallen to the same gun"; "The
shooting victim fell dead"
8: touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly; "Light fell
on her face"; "The sun shone on the fields"; "The light
struck the golden necklace"; "A strange sound struck my ears"
[syn: fall, shine, strike]
9: be captured; "The cities fell to the enemy"
10: occur at a specified time or place; "Christmas falls on a
Monday this year"; "The accent falls on the first syllable"
11: decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework
decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin
pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a
hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" [syn:
decrease, diminish, lessen, fall] [ant: increase]
12: yield to temptation or sin; "Adam and Eve fell"
13: lose office or power; "The government fell overnight"; "The
Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen"
14: to be given by assignment or distribution; "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"
15: move in a specified direction; "The line of men fall
forward"
16: be due; "payments fall on the 1st of the month"
17: lose one's chastity; "a fallen woman"
18: to be given by right or inheritance; "The estate fell to the
oldest daughter"
19: come into the possession of; "The house accrued to the
oldest son" [syn: accrue, fall]
20: fall to somebody by assignment or lot; "The task fell to
me"; "It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims"
[syn: fall, light]
21: be inherited by; "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" [syn: fall,
return, pass, devolve]
22: slope downward; "The hills around here fall towards the
ocean"
23: lose an upright position suddenly; "The vase fell over and
the water spilled onto the table"; "Her hair fell across her
forehead" [syn: fall, fall down]
24: drop oneself to a lower or less erect position; "She fell
back in her chair"; "He fell to his knees"
25: fall or flow in a certain way; "This dress hangs well"; "Her
long black hair flowed down her back" [syn: hang, fall,
flow]
26: assume a disappointed or sad expression; "Her face fell when
she heard that she would be laid off"; "his crest fell"
27: be cast down; "his eyes fell"
28: come out; issue; "silly phrases fell from her mouth"
29: be born, used chiefly of lambs; "The lambs fell in the
afternoon"
30: begin vigorously; "The prisoners fell to work right away"
31: go as if by falling; "Grief fell from our hearts"
32: come as if by falling; "Night fell"; "Silence fell" [syn:
fall, descend, settle]