1. A steep descent of the water of a river
   "Tourists gathered to admire the majestic falls";
   - waterfall
    
2. The petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
   "The falls of the iris drooped gracefully, revealing intricate patterns"

1. [N. Amer] The season when the leaves fall from the trees
   "in the fall of 1973";
   - autumn
    
2. A sudden drop from an upright position
   "he had a nasty fall on the ice";
   - spill, tumble
    
3. A free and rapid descent by the force of gravity
   "it was a miracle that he survived the fall from that height";
   - drop
    
4. A movement downward
   "the rise and fall of the tides"
    
5. A downward slope or bend
   "The hikers carefully navigated the steep fall on the mountain path";
   - descent, declivity, decline, declination, declension [archaic], downslope
    
6. A sudden decline in strength, number or importance
   "the fall of the House of Hapsburg";
   - downfall, slide
    
7. A sudden sharp decrease in some quantity
   "when that became known the price of their stock went into free fall";
   - drop, dip, free fall
    
8. A lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity
   "a fall from virtue"
    
9. The act of surrendering (usually under agreed conditions)
   "they were protected until the fall of the fort";
   - capitulation, surrender
    
10. When a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat
    "The referee called a fall, ending the match";
    - pin
     
11. The time of day immediately following sunset
    "they finished before the fall of night";
    - twilight, dusk, gloaming, gloam [archaic], nightfall, evenfall, crepuscule, crepuscle

1. Descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
   "The branch fell from the tree"; "The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse"
    
2. Pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind
   "She fell ill"; "They fell out of favour"; "Fall in love"; "fall prey to an imposter"; "fall into a strange way of thinking"; "she fell to pieces after she lost her work"; "fall into a trap"; "fall asleep"
    
3. Come under, be classified or included
   "fall into a category";
   - come
    
4. Lose an upright position suddenly
   "The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table"; "Her hair fell across her forehead"; "The child fell down while learning to walk";
   - fall down
    
5. Drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
   "She fell back in her chair"; "He fell to his knees"
    
6. Move in a specified direction
   "The line of men fall forward"
    
7. Slope downward
   "The hills around here fall towards the ocean"
    
8. Fall or flow in a certain way
   "This dress falls well";
   - hang, flow
    
9. (of rain, snow, etc.) landing after falling from the clouds
   "rain, snow and sleet were falling";
   - precipitate, come down
    
10. Suffer defeat, failure, or ruin
    "We must stand or fall"; "fall by the wayside"
     
11. Become reduced in amount, level, intensity, or value
    "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper";
    - decrease, diminish, lessen, come down, go down, sink, dent
     
12. Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly
    "Light fell on her face";
    - shine, strike
     
13. Be captured
    "The cities fell to the enemy"
     
14. Lose office or power
    "The government fell overnight"; "The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen"
     
15. Yield to temptation or sin
    "Adam and Eve fell"
     
16. Die, as in battle or in a hunt
    "Many soldiers fell at Verdun"; "The shooting victim fell dead"
     
17. Lose one's chastity
    "She worried that she would fall if she spent too much time alone with him"
     
18. 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"
     
19. To be given by right or inheritance
    "The estate fell to the oldest daughter"
     
20. Come into the possession of
    "The house fell to the oldest son";
    - accrue
     
21. Be allotted to somebody by assignment or as part of their role
    "The task fell to me"; "It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims";
    - light
     
22. Be inherited by
    "The estate fell to my sister";
    - return, pass, devolve
     
23. Assume a disappointed or sad expression
    "Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off"; "his crest fell"
     
24. Be cast down
    "his eyes fell"
     
25. Come out; issue
    "silly phrases fell from her mouth"
     
26. Occur at a specified time or place
    "Christmas falls on a Monday this year"; "The accent falls on the first syllable"
     
27. Begin vigorously
    "The prisoners fell to work right away"
     
28. Go as if by falling
    "Grief fell from our hearts"
     
29. Come as if by falling
    "Night fell"; "Silence fell";
    - descend, settle
     
30. Be born, used chiefly of lambs
    "The lambs fell in the afternoon"
     
31. Be due
    "payments fall on the 1st of the month"

Derived forms: fallses

See also: break, come apart, come to nothing, crumble, dawdle, drop away, drop off, fall apart, fall away, fall back, fall behind, fall flat, fall for, fall through, flop, founder, go to the wall [informal], lag, recede, separate, slip, split up

Type of: alter, be, be born, begin, body of water, buy the farm [N. Amer, informal], cash in [informal], cash in one's chips [informal], change, change hands, change magnitude, change of location, change owners, change posture, change state, chlamys, come, come about, come forth, come out, conk [informal], cop it [Brit, informal], croak [informal], decease [archaic], decrease, decrement, descent, die, disappear, drop dead [informal], egress, emerge, exit, expire, fail, fall out, flatline [informal], floral envelope, get, get down, give up the ghost [informal], go, go away, go forth, go on, go wrong, gravitation, hap [archaic], happen, hour, incline, issue, kick the bucket [informal], leave office, locomote, loss, miscarry, move, occur, pass, pass away, pass off, pass on, perianth, perigone, perigonium, perish, pitch, pop off [informal], pop one's clogs [informal], quit, resign, season, set about, set out, side, sin, sinning, slip, slope, snuff it [informal], start, start out, step down, take place, time of day, time of year, transgress, travel, trespass [archaic], trip, triumph, turn, vanish, vary, victory, water, weakening, yield

Antonym: ascent

Part of: eve, even, evening, eventide [archaic], river, wrestling match

Encyclopedia: Falls, North Carolina