fall

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

• “The branch fell from the tree”
• “The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse”

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”

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”

come under, be classified or included

• “fall into a category”
• “This comes under a new heading”

fall from clouds

• “rain, snow and sleet were falling”
• “Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum”

suffer defeat, failure, or ruin

• “We must stand or fall”
• “fall by the wayside”

decrease in size, extent, or range

• “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”

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”

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”

be captured

• “The cities fell to the enemy”

occur at a specified time or place

• “Christmas falls on a Monday this year”
• “The accent falls on the first syllable”

yield to temptation or sin

• “Adam and Eve fell”

lose office or power

• “The government fell overnight”
• “The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen”

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”

move in a specified direction

• “The line of men fall forward”

be due

• “payments fall on the 1st of the month”

lose one''s chastity

• “a fallen woman”

to be given by right or inheritance

• “The estate fell to the oldest daughter”

come into the possession of

• “The house accrued to the oldest son”

fall to somebody by assignment or lot

• “The task fell to me”
• “It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims”

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”

slope downward

• “The hills around here fall towards the ocean”

lose an upright position suddenly

• “The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table”
• “Her hair fell across her forehead”

drop oneself to a lower or less erect position

• “She fell back in her chair”
• “He fell to his knees”

fall or flow in a certain way

• “This dress hangs well”
• “Her long black hair flowed down her back”

assume a disappointed or sad expression

• “Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off”
• “his crest fell”

be cast down

• “his eyes fell”

come out; issue

• “silly phrases fell from her mouth”

be born, used chiefly of lambs

• “The lambs fell in the afternoon”

begin vigorously

• “The prisoners fell to work right away”

go as if by falling

• “Grief fell from our hearts”

come as if by falling

• “Night fell”
• “Silence fell”

the season when the leaves fall from the trees

• “in the fall of 1973”

a sudden drop from an upright position

• “he had a nasty spill on the ice”

the lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve

• “women have been blamed ever since the Fall”

a downward slope or bend

a lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity

• “a fall from virtue”

a sudden decline in strength or number or importance

• “the fall of the House of Hapsburg”

a movement downward

• “the rise and fall of the tides”

the act of surrendering (under agreed conditions)

• “they were protected until the capitulation of the fort”

the time of day immediately following sunset

• “he loved the twilight”
• “they finished before the fall of night”

when a wrestler''s shoulders are forced to the mat

a free and rapid descent by the force of gravity

• “it was a miracle that he survived the drop from that height”

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”