fall

/fɔːl/ verb [I] (past tense fell, past participle fallen)

Definition

MOVE DOWN › to move down towards the ground: Huge drops of rain were falling from the sky. By winter, all the leaves had fallen off the trees.

STOP STANDING › to suddenly go down and hit the ground without intending to: She fell off her bike and broke her arm.

BECOME LESS › to become less in number or amount: Housing prices have fallen by 15% since last year. Temperatures are expected to fall from 15°C to 9°C.

BECOME WORSE › to become worse, or start to be in a bad situation or condition: Education standards are continuing to fall. Empty for 30 years, the building had fallen into ruin (= become very damaged).

fall asleep/ill/still, etc › to start to sleep/become ill/become quiet, etc: I fell asleep on the sofa watching TV.

darkness/night falls literary › used to say that it is becoming dark

LOSE POWER › to lose power and start to be controlled by a different leader: In 1453 the city fell to the Turks.

HANG DOWN › to hang down: Her long blonde hair fell softly over her shoulders. → See also fall on deaf ears → See also fall flat → See also fall foul of sb/sth → See also go/fall to pieces → See also fall into place → See also fall prey to sth → See also fall by the wayside

(Definition of fall verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)