fall

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

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fall1 /fɔːl $ fɒːl/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense fell /fel/, past participle fallen /ˈfɔːlən $ ˈfɒːl-/)  1  move downwards 向下移动 [intransitive]FALL to move or drop down from a higher position to a lower position 落下，降落，跌落 The tree was about to fall. 那棵树快要倒下了。 The book fell from his hands. 书从他手上跌落。 Enough rain had fallen to flood the grounds. 雨量很大，淹没了地面。fall down Rob fell down the stairs. 罗布从楼梯上跌了下来。 She flushed and her eyes fell (=she looked down). 她脸一红，垂下了眼帘。2  stop standing/walking etc 停止站立/行走等 [intransitive]FALL to suddenly go down onto the ground after you have been standing, walking, or running, especially without intending to 摔倒，跌倒 I fell and hit my head. 我跌了一跤，撞到了头。slip/stumble/trip etc and fall He slipped and fell on the ice. 他在冰面上滑倒了。fall down Lizzie fell down and hurt her knee. 莉齐跌伤了膝盖。 Peter was playing by the river when he fell in (=fell into the water). 彼得在河边玩着玩着，掉进了水里。fall to/on your knees (=move down to the ground so that your body is resting on your knees) 跪下，下跪 She fell to her knees beside his body. 她跪倒在他的尸体旁边。 → fall flat on your face at flat3(5)3  decrease 减少 [intransitive]LESS to go down to a lower level, amount, price etc, especially a much lower one 〔水平、数量、价格等，尤指较大幅度地〕下跌，下降，降低 OPP rise The rate of inflation was falling. 通货膨胀率正在下降。 The island is warm all year round and winter temperatures never fall below 10 degrees. 这个岛全年温暖，冬季气温从不低于10度。 He believes that educational standards are falling. 他认为教育水准在下降。fall from Advertising revenue fell from $98.5 million to $93.3 million. 广告收益从9,850万美元跌至9,330万美元。fall to The number of subscribers had fallen to 1,000. 订阅人数已降至1,000人。fall sharply/steeply (=by a large amount) 骤降 London share prices fell sharply yesterday. 昨天伦敦股价大跌。► see thesaurus at decrease RegisterIn everyday English, people often say an amount or level goes down rather than falls: 在日常英语中，人们常用go down表示数量或水平下降，而不用fallHouse prices have gone down again. 房价再次下跌。4  become 变成 [intransitive, linking verb]BECOME to start to be in a new or different state 进入〔新的或不同的状态〕fall adj I’ll stay with her until she falls asleep. 我会一直陪着她，直到她睡着。 I think that I’ve fallen in love with Angela. 我觉得我爱上安杰拉了。 She fell ill with flu. 她患感冒，病倒了。 Albert fell silent and turned his attention to his food. 艾伯特沉默下来，将注意力转移到食物上。fall into The house was empty for many years and fell into disrepair. 那幢房子空置多年，变得破旧不堪。 One false step can mean falling into debt. 走错一步就可能意味着负债。 He fell into despair. 他陷入绝望。5  belong to a group 属于某一团体 [intransitive always + preposition]LIKE/SIMILAR to belong to or be part of a particular group, area of responsibility, range of things, or type of things 属于fall into Many illnesses fall into the category of stress-related illnesses. 许多疾病都与压力有关。 Leaders fall into two categories. 领导分两类。fall within The judge said that this matter did not fall within the scope of the auditor’s duties. 法官称这件事不属于审计员的职责范畴。fall under The job falls under the heading of ‘sales and marketing’. 这个职位属于“市场营销”一类。 Meat production falls under the control of the Agriculture Department. 肉类生产由农业部管辖。6  fall short of something LESSto be less than the amount or standard that is needed or that you want 未达到…；不足…；未满… This year’s profit will fall short of 13%. 今年的利润将不足13%。 He would sack any of his staff who fell short of his high standards. 他会将没有达到他高标准的员工都开除掉。7  fall victim/prey to something/somebody GETto get a very serious illness or be attacked or deceived by someone 成了…的罹患者/受害者 Breastfed babies are less likely to fall victim to stomach disorders. 母乳喂养的宝宝不太会出现胃部不适。 people who fall victim to violence 暴力受害者8  night/darkness/dusk falls DARKif night etc falls, it starts to become dark at the beginning of the night 夜幕/黑夜/傍晚降临 It grew colder as night fell. 夜幕降临，气温越来越低。 Darkness had fallen by the time we reached home. 我们到家的时候天已经黑了。9  silence/a hush/sadness etc falls literaryBECOME used to say that a person, group, or place becomes quiet, sad etc 安静下来/寂静下来/悲伤起来等 A long silence fell between us. 我俩沉默了很长时间。10  START DOING somethingstart doing STH 开始做某事 [intransitive] to start doing something or being involved with something, often without intending to 开始（做某事） I fell into conversation with some guys from New York. 我开始与几个纽约来的家伙聊了起来。 He had fallen into the habit of having a coffee every time he passed the coffee machine. 他养成了习惯，每次经过咖啡机都要喝一杯。11  fall into place a) UNDERSTANDif parts of a situation that you have been trying to understand fall into place, you start to understand how they are connected with each other 变得一清二楚；变得条理清楚；变得明朗 Suddenly, all the details started falling into place. 突然间，所有的细节都明朗起来。 b) START TO HAPPEN, EXIST ETCif the parts of something that you want to happen fall into place, they start to happen in the way that you want 〔事情〕按照意愿[设想]发生 I was lucky because everything fell into place at exactly the right time. 我真幸运，一切都来得正当时。12  fall to pieces/bits a) BREAKto break into many pieces 破碎，破裂 SYN fall apart The book had been well used and finally fell to pieces. 这本书被频繁使用，最后散了架。 b) STOP HAPPENINGif something such as a plan or a relationship falls to pieces, it stops working properly 〔计划或关系等〕崩盘，破裂 SYN fall apart The family is falling to pieces. 这个家庭散了。13  be falling to pieces/bits BREAKif something is falling to pieces, it is in very bad condition, especially because it is very old 快散架了〔尤因其相当旧〕 SYN be falling apart The house is falling to pieces. 那幢房子都快散架了。14  fall flat FUNNYif a joke, remark, or performance falls flat, it fails to interest or amuse people 〔笑话、说话或表演〕达不到预期效果，无法逗人笑 Marlow’s attempts at jokes fell flat. 马洛讲的笑话没有把大家逗乐。15  fall foul of somebody/something ANGRYILLEGALto do something which makes someone angry or which breaks a rule, with the result that you are punished 激怒某人/违反某事物〔从而受到惩处〕 He is worried that his teenage kids will fall foul of the law. 他担心他那几个十几岁的孩子会犯法。16  fall by the wayside SUCCESSFULto fail, or to stop being done, used, or made 半途而废；不再进行；停止使用 Health reform was one of his goals that fell by the wayside. 医疗改革是他的目标之一，却在半途夭折了。 Luxury items fall by the wayside during a recession. 在经济衰退时期，奢侈品乏人问津。17  fall from grace/favour LIKE somebody OR somethingto stop being liked by people in authority 失去信任；失去恩宠 He fell from grace for the first time when he was convicted of drink-driving. 他被判犯有酒后驾驶罪后，第一次失去了人们的信任。18. fall from a great height to be forced to leave an important job or position, or lose the respect that people had for you 从高位跌落〔指被迫离开要职或失去了人们的尊重〕19  fall into the hands/clutches of somebody if something or someone falls into the hands of an enemy or dangerous person, the enemy etc gets control or possession of them 落入某人的手中/控制中 He wants to prevent the business falling into the hands of a competitor. 他想阻止公司落入对手的手中。 We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. 我们一定不能让这些文件落到坏人手中。20  fall into a trap/pitfall MISTAKEto make a mistake that many people make 犯多数人会犯的错误 Don’t fall into the trap of feeling guilty. 不要陷入自责的误区。21  fall into step a) WALKto start to walk next to someone else, at the same speed as them （与…）并肩齐行fall into step beside/with Holly slowed her pace and fell into step with the old man. 霍莉放慢步子，与老人并肩齐行。 b) START DOING somethingto start doing something in the same way as the other members of a group （与…）步调一致；（与…）方式一样fall into step with The other countries on the Council are expected to fall into step with the US. 预计理事会的其他成员国将会与美国步调一致。22  fall into line OBEYto obey someone or do what other people want you to do, especially when you do not want to do it at first 听从，服从 Most countries have signed the treaty but some are reluctant to fall into line. 大多数国家已签署了该条约，但也有些国家不愿顺从。23  hang down 垂下 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]DOWN to hang down loosely 下垂，低垂fall over His dark hair fell over his face. 他那深色的头发垂落下来，遮住了脸庞。24  light/shadow 光线/阴影 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]LIGHT to shine on a surface or go onto a surface 〔光〕照射；〔影子〕投映 The last rays of sunlight were falling on the fields. 夕阳的余晖照在田野上。 Arthur’s shadow fell across the doorway. 阿瑟的影子投映在门口。25  special event/celebration 特殊事件/庆典 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]HAPPEN to happen on a particular day or at a particular time 发生 I’d like to dedicate this record to all whose anniversaries fall at this time of year. 我要将这张唱片献给所有在此时庆贺纪念日的人们。fall on Her birthday will fall on a Friday this year. 今年她的生日是在星期五。26  lose power 失去权力 [intransitive]PG if a leader or a government falls, they lose their position of power 下台，倒台 The previous government fell after only 6 months in office. 前政府执政仅六个月便下台了。27  be taken by an enemy 被敌人占领 [intransitive]PMPPV if a place falls in a war or an election, a group of soldiers or a political party takes control of it 沦陷，失守；被控制fall to The city fell to the advancing Russian armies. 那座城市被挺进的俄军攻陷。28. be killed 遇害 [intransitive]DIE to be killed in a war 阵亡 SYN die29  hit 击打 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]HIT to hit a particular place or a particular part of someone’s body 打中，击中fall on The first punch fell on his nose. 第一拳打在他的鼻子上。30. voice/sound 嗓音/声音 [intransitive]QUIET if someone’s voice or a sound falls, it becomes quieter or lower 〔嗓音或声音〕变轻，变小 OPP rise31. it’s as easy as falling off a log spokenEASY used to say that something is very easy to do 这极其容易32. fall between two stools British EnglishCHOOSE to be neither one type of thing nor another, or be unable to choose between two ways of doing something 两头落空；举棋不定33. fall on stony ground British English if a request, suggestion, joke etc falls on stony ground, it is ignored or people do not like it 〔要求、建议、笑话等〕不被人理睬，未产生预期效果34. fall from somebody’s lips literarySAY if words fall from someone’s lips, they say them 〔话〕从某人口中说出35. fall into somebody’s lap if an opportunity falls into someone’s lap, they get it without having made any effort to get it 某人得来全不费功夫36  the stress/accent/beat falls on something SLAPMused to say that a particular part of a word, phrase, or piece of music is emphasized or is played more loudly than the rest 重读/重音/拍子落在…上 In the word ‘report’, the stress falls on the second syllable. 这个词，重音落在第二个音节上。 → be/fall under a spell at spell2(3), → fall on your feet at foot1(19), → somebody’s face fell at face1, → stand or fall by/on at stand1(33) THESAURUSfall (also fall over, fall down) to suddenly go down onto the floor when standing, walking, or running 跌倒，摔倒She fell on the stairs and broke her ankle. 她在楼梯上摔了一跤，脚踝骨折。Children are always falling over. 小孩子老是摔跟头。trip on/over something to fall or almost fall when you hit your foot against something 被某物绊倒Someone might trip over those toys. 可能会有人被那些玩具绊倒的。I tripped on a piece of wood. 我被一根木头绊了一跤。slip to fall or almost fall when you are walking on a wet or very smooth surface 滑（倒）She slipped and hurt her ankle. 她滑了一下，伤了脚踝。I was scared I would slip on the highly polished floor. 地板擦得好亮，我怕会滑倒。stumble to almost fall when you put your foot down in an awkward way 绊脚He stumbled and almost fell. 他一个踉跄,差点跌倒。One of our porters stumbled on the rough ground. 地面高低不平，我们的一个搬运工绊了一跤。collapse to fall suddenly and heavily to the ground, especially when you become unconscious 昏倒One of the runners collapsed halfway through the race. 其中一名赛跑选手半途昏倒了。lose your balance to become unsteady so that you start to fall over 失去平衡She lost her balance on the first step and fell down the stairs. 她刚上楼梯的第一个梯阶就失去平衡，摔了下来。nHave something to hold onto, in case you lose your balance.fall flat on your face to fall forwards so you are lying on your front on the ground 摔了个嘴啃泥She fell flat on her face getting out of the car. 她下车时摔了个嘴啃泥。 PHRASAL VERBS37 fall about phrasal verb British English LAUGHto laugh a lot about something 捧腹大笑 It was so funny everyone just fell about laughing. 太滑稽了，所有人都捧腹大笑。38 fall apart phrasal verb a) EFFECTIVEif an organization, system, relationship etc falls apart, it stops being effective or successful 〔组织、制度、关系等〕崩溃，破裂 Don’t be reckless or your plans may fall apart. 别鲁莽，否则你的计划可能会失败。 The health service is falling apart at the seams. 医疗保健制度行将崩溃。b) be falling apartCONDITION/STATE OF something to be in very bad condition 快散架，破旧不堪 Tommy’s old bicycle was rusty and falling apart. 汤米的旧自行车锈迹斑斑，都快散架了。c) BREAKto break into pieces 破碎，断裂，散开 The book fell apart in my hands. 那本书在我手里散了架。d) FAILto be unable to deal with your personal or emotional problems 垮掉，崩溃 She had to get some rest or she was going to fall apart. 她必须休息，否则要崩溃了。e) somebody’s world/life falls apart if someone’s world or life falls apart, something very bad and serious happens which changes their life 某人的世界/生活垮掉 When his wife left him, his world fell apart. 妻子离他而去，他的世界就此垮了。39 fall away phrasal verb a) HORIZONTALto slope down 向下倾斜 From where we stood, the ground fell away sharply to the valley floor. 地面从我们所站之处陡然向谷底倾斜。b) ATTACHto become separated from something after being fixed to it 剥落 The paint was falling away in patches. 有几块地方油漆在剥落。c) QUIETif a feeling falls away, you stop having it, usually suddenly 〔感觉〕突然消失，突然消散 The view from the top was wonderful and our tiredness fell away. 顶上景色秀美，我们疲惫顿消。d) British English to decrease 减少，减小 SYN fall OPP rise Demand for our more theoretical courses has fallen away. 要我们增开理论课的需求已经减少了。40 fall back phrasal verb a) PMif soldiers fall back, they move back because they are being attacked 撤退，退后 SYN retreat He yelled for his men to fall back. 他大喊着叫手下人后撤。b) MOVE/CHANGE POSITIONto move backwards because you are very surprised, frightened etc 〔因惊奇、惊慌等而〕后退，退却 Scott fell back a pace in astonishment. 斯科特吃惊地后退了一步。c) British English to decrease 减少，减小 SYN fall OPP rise When inflation started to rise, house prices fell back. 通货膨胀开始上升时，房价就回落了。41 fall back into something phrasal verb to go back to doing something or behaving in a way which you did before 回退到〔以前的做法〕 I was amazed at how easily I fell back into the old routine. 我很奇怪自己这么容易就回到了以前的生活习惯。42 fall back on somebody/something phrasal verb DEPEND ON/RELY ONto use something or depend on someone’s help when dealing with a difficult situation, especially after other methods have failed （转而）依靠；求助于；借助于have somebody/something to fall back on She has no relatives to fall back on. 她没有亲戚可以依靠。 Where negotiation fails, they must fall back on the law. 谈判解决不了的，他们就必须依靠法律来解决。 → fallback43 fall behind (somebody/something) phrasal verb a) SLOWto go more slowly than other people so that they gradually move further ahead of you 落在（某人/某物的）后面 His mother was chatting and didn’t notice that he had fallen behind. 他妈妈在聊天，没注意到他已经落到后面了。 She hurt her ankle and had fallen behind the others. 她伤了脚踝，落在了别人的后面。b) EFFECTIVEto become less successful than other people, companies, countries etc 落后（于某人/某物） After her time in hospital, Jenny’s parents are afraid she has fallen behind educationally. 珍妮住了一段时间医院，父母担心她学习跟不上。 Companies that are not market-driven risk falling behind the competition. 不以市场为导向的公司有可能在竞争中落败。c) LATEto fail to finish a piece of work or pay someone money that you owe them at the right time 不能按时完成（工作）；拖欠（还款） with/on After losing his job, he fell behind with his mortgage payments. 失业后，他拖欠了抵押贷款的偿还。 The project has fallen behind schedule. 这项工程已经误期了。44 fall down phrasal verb a) be falling downCONDITION/STATE OF something if a building is falling down, it is in very bad condition 〔建筑物〕破旧不堪 The bridge is falling down and will need a million dollars to repair it. 那座桥破旧不堪，需要一百万美元来维修。b) FAILto fail because of a particular reason or in a particular way 不足；不够好 That’s where the whole argument falls down. 那就是整个论点站不住脚的地方。 on He is falling down on the supervisory aspects of his job. 他在监管方面的工作做得不太好。 The local authority is falling down on the job of keeping the streets clean. 地方当局在保持街道清洁方面做得不够。45 fall for somebody/something phrasal verb informal a) TRICK/DECEIVEto be tricked into believing something that is not true 上…的当，受…的骗 He is too smart to fall for that trick. 他很精明，不会上那种当的。b) LOVEto start to love someone 爱上〔某人〕 That was the summer I worked at the fairground, and met and fell for Lucy. 就是那个夏天，我在露天游乐场工作，遇到露西并爱上了她。c) to like a place as soon as you see it 对〔某地〕一见倾心46 fall in phrasal verb a) FALLif the roof, ceiling etc falls in, it falls onto the ground 〔屋顶、天花板等〕坍倒，塌下，垮掉 SYN collapseb) PMLINEto start walking or forming a line of people behind someone else 列队，集队 behind His men fell in behind him. 他的手下在他身后集队。47 fall into something phrasal verb a) to move somewhere quickly by relaxing your body and letting it fall on something 扑倒在〔某物〕上 She turned and fell into his arms. 她转身扑进他的怀里。 We fell into bed, exhausted. 我们倒在床上，精疲力竭。b) to start doing something by chance 碰巧开始做〔某事〕 I fell into the job really. 我其实是碰巧做起这个工作的。48 fall in with somebody/something phrasal verb a) ACCEPTto accept someone’s ideas, decisions etc and not disagree with them 赞同，接受〔某人的想法、决定等〕 Once she explained her problem, he was happy to fall in with her plans. 她一说明自己的问题，他就欣然同意了她的计划。b) to become friendly with a person or group of people after meeting them by chance 结交 SYN get in with She fell in with the wrong crowd in her teens. 她十几岁的时候结交了坏朋友。49 fall off phrasal verb a) fall off (something)SEPARATE if part of something falls off, it becomes separated from the main part （从某物上）掉下，脱落 The door handle keeps falling off. 门把手老是掉下来。 A button had fallen off her jacket. 她的外套上掉了一颗纽扣。b) LESSif the amount, rate, or quality of something falls off, it decreases 〔数量、比率或质量〕下降，减少 SYN fall OPP rise Audience figures fell off during the second series of the programme. 这个节目的第二期播出时，收看人数有所减少。c) somebody nearly/almost fell off their chair spokenSURPRISED used to say that someone was very surprised when something happened 某人差点从椅子上掉下来〔用于表示某人十分惊奇〕 When I saw my brother on the stage I nearly fell off my chair. 看到弟弟在台上，我差点没从椅子上掉下来。 → fall off the back of a lorry at lorry50 fall on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb a) RESPONSIBLEif a duty or job falls on someone, they are responsible for doing it 〔责任或工作〕落在〔某人身上〕 The responsibility usually falls on the mother. 担子一般都落在母亲身上。b) literarySTART DOING something to eagerly start eating or using something 急着开始吃[用]〔某物〕 She fell on the food as if she hadn’t eaten for days. 她狼吞虎咽，好像几天没吃饭似的。c) literaryATTACK to suddenly attack or get hold of someone 突然攻击[抓住]〔某人〕 Some of the older boys fell on him and broke his glasses. 一些大一点的男孩突然扑向他，打碎了他的眼镜。d) somebody’s eyes/gaze/glance fall(s) on something if your eyes etc fall on something, you notice it 某人的目光落在某物上 His eyes fell on her bag. ‘Are you going somewhere?’ 他的目光落在她的包上。“你是不是要去什么地方？”e) fall on hard/bad times to experience difficulties and problems in your life such as not having enough money 陷入贫困，境遇艰难 The aim is to raise money for workers who have fallen on hard times. 目的是为境遇艰难的工人筹款。f) fall on your sword to leave your job because your organization has done something wrong, and you are taking responsibility for it 〔为所在机构的错误〕背黑锅辞职 It was clear that the prime minister wanted her to fall on her sword. 显然，总理想让她辞职来承担责任。 → fall on deaf ears at deaf(5)51 fall out phrasal verb a) ARGUEto have a quarrel 争吵 with Carrie’s always falling out with people. 卡丽老是跟人争吵。b) SEPARATEif a tooth or your hair falls out, it is then no longer attached to your body 〔牙齿或头发〕掉落，脱落 The drugs made her hair fall out. 这种药令她掉发。c) PMif soldiers fall out, they stop standing in a line and move away to different places 〔士兵〕离开队列，解散52 fall over phrasal verb a) FALLto fall onto the ground or to fall from an upright position 倒下，摔倒 Tommy fell over and cut his knee badly. 汤米摔了一跤，膝盖摔破一大块。 Her bike fell over. 她的自行车倒了。b) fall over somethingFALL to hit your foot against something by mistake and fall to the ground 被某物绊倒 SYN trip over She fell over the dog and broke her front teeth. 她被那只狗绊了一跤，磕碎了门牙。c) TRY TO DO OR GET something fall over yourself to do something to be very eager to do something, especially something you do not usually do 忙不迭地做某事，急着做某事〔尤指一般不做的事〕 People were falling over themselves to help her. 人们在尽力帮她。53 fall through phrasal verb FAILif an agreement, plan, sale etc falls through, it is not completed successfully 〔协议、计划、销售等〕失败，告吹 The studio planned to make a movie of the book but the deal fell through. 电影公司计划把那本书拍成电影，但是没有谈成。54 fall to somebody/something phrasal verb a) RESPONSIBLEif a duty or job falls to someone, they are responsible for doing it, especially when this is difficult or unpleasant 〔尤指困难或令人不悦的事〕落在〔某人身上〕 It fell to me to give her the bad news. 把这个坏消息告诉她的任务落在了我身上。b) writtenSTART DOING something to start doing something 开始做〔某事〕 They fell to work with a will. 他们满腔热情地开始干了起来。fall to doing something He fell to thinking about how nice a warm bath would be. 他开始思忖起洗个热水澡该有多么舒服啊。→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

fall• Aston Villa fell 3 places in the league after their defeat by Barnsley.• Its price fell 75 yen per 50,000 in face value.• A light rain was falling.• George held on tightly, afraid that he might fall.• I sat in bed, listening to the rain fall.• Just as we were about to leave the house, rain began to fall.• She was going up the stairs when she fell.• Mabel Boll was exactly the kind of person upon whom Guest was determined the mantle of fame would not fall.• Don't worry - I'll catch you if you fall.• A shadow fell across his face, hiding his expression.• A tree had fallen across the road and blocked it.• Katie fell and scraped her knee.• Mukhamedov's defection two years ago, just as Communism was falling apart, will not be forgiven in a hurry.• One of the climbers fell fifty feet.• Leaves were falling from the trees.• A man tall and princely-looking was sitting by the hearth where the firelight fell full on him.• He reportedly fell in battle on June 17th.• He remembered Hause Point, he remembered the abyss he had so often fallen into.• It is mature and spontaneous utterance falling like ripe leaves on a still day in the fall of the year.• She watched the keys fall, noting that they fell more slowly than they would have done on the Earth.• Bombs fell on the streets, destroying neighbouring homes, but leaving the school intact.• Darkness fell on the town and the streetlights came on one by one.• One of the glasses had fallen on to its side and a red stain had spread from it on to the tablecloth.• Careful that box doesn't fall on you, Charlotte!• I can't find my passport - it must have fallen out of my pocket.• Fred fell out of the tree and broke his arm.• She opened the cupboard and everything fell out.• Maria's hair fell over her shoulders.eyes fell• Albert's eyes fell, and he blushed.• Then her eyes fell briefly on the painting her grandmother had given her.• As he scanned the room for potential defenders his eyes fell on Father Ed Dougherty.• My eyes fell on the bed and to my horror something began slowly to stir under the blanket.• A fierce, terrified elation raced through her veins as her eyes fell on the knife only an inch away from her hand.• Its huge eyes fell on the scrap of paper on the floor.• He helped me shift the tea-chests and his eyes fell on your clothes as though dazed in a perfumed garden.• His eyes fell to the bottom of the page.fall to/on your knees• A woman, gone faint, fell to her knees.• As Nelson paraded in front of the jury, the pants fell to his knees.• Francis Lee received a little kick and fell on his knees.• Too fast for his shorter legs and he fell on his knees.• He fell to his knees before her.• She fell on her knees before them and begged them to take her with them.• The mestizo fell to his knees, but he still held the knife.• He screamed in agony and fell to his knees, cradling his broken nose between his bloodied hands.fall sharply/steeply• After that, volumes were expected to fall sharply.• London share prices also fell sharply.• The Potomac was clean again, a haven for windsurfers, and certain airborne pollutants had fallen sharply.• Yet the jobless rate is falling sharply.• Sales of units fell sharply after the crash of October 1987.• Leading market indices in Britain and the United States fell sharply after the report was published.• Sickness absence overall fell sharply last year by almost 0.5 percent of working time from the 1991 figure of 4.0 percent.• While weak earnings forecasts caused many stocks to fall sharply, unexpectedly strong outlooks or actual earnings were rewarded.fall into• These substances fall into two categories.fall under• Her earlier books would fall under the heading of historical fiction.fallen into the habit of• The company had fallen into the habit of using George to administer a sort of organizational shock therapy.fall over• That bookcase looks as if it's about to fall over.• There was no wind; the tree just fell over.fall on• Christmas falls on a Thursday this year.fall to• Last year, it fell to 17 percent.• Last year solid waste totalled 227,000 tonnes but this is forecast to fall to 206,000 tonnes this year.• The stock later fell to 214. 50, up 1. 66 percent.• The cave continues but then suddenly falls to horrendous depths and a retreat must be made to the point of entry.• The proportion of married women falls to just over two in ten, and the proportion widowed rises to nearly two-thirds.• Some analysts expect cellular growth to fall to single digits in a few years.• The honour of the reception always fell to the family of the bride.• There followed a crash and a rending of fabric and I fell to the ground.

Related topics: Nature, Government, Other sports

fall2 ●●● S2 W2 noun  1  movement down 向下的移动 [countable]FALL movement down towards the ground or towards a lower position 下跌，跌落；跌倒 the first fall of autumn leaves 秋叶始落 The rise and fall of the dancers’ bodies creates a pattern. 舞者身体的起伏构成了一幅图案。 Mrs Evans had a fall (=fell to the ground) and broke her leg. 埃文斯太太摔了一跤，跌断了一条腿。 He stretched out his hands to break his fall (=prevent himself from falling too quickly and hurting himself). 他伸出双手撑了一下，不让自己摔得太重。2  reduction 减少 [countable]LESS a reduction in the amount, level, price etc of something 〔数量、水平、价格等的〕下降，降低，减少 OPP risefall in There has been a fall in oil prices. 油价下跌了。sharp/steep fall the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countries 欧洲国家出生率的急剧下降fall of Their industrial output went down again in December, which meant a fall of 2.2% over the year. 12月，他们的工业产量再次下降，那就意味着全年减少了2.2%。3  season 季节 [singular] American EnglishDN the season between summer and winter, when leaves change colour and the weather becomes slightly colder 秋季 SYN autumn Eleanor plans to go to Southwestern Community College this fall. 埃莉诺打算今年秋天去上西南社区学院。 The area is beautiful in the fall. 这地方秋天的景色很美。4  loss of power/success 失去权力/失败 [singular]PG a situation in which someone or something loses their position of power or becomes unsuccessful 垮台，崩溃；衰败fall from The president lived on for twenty years after his fall from power. 那位总统下台后活了二十年。 the story of Napoleon’s rise and fall (=period of success followed by failure) 拿破仑的兴衰史 Rumours are that the company is heading for a fall (=is likely to fail soon). 传闻这家公司要倒闭了。5  fall from grace PGa situation in which someone stops being respected by other people or loses their position of authority, especially because they have done something wrong 〔尤因做错事后〕不再受人尊敬，失去权威 He was the head of the intelligence service until his fall from grace. 失去人们的信任之前，他是情报部门的负责人。6  defeat 战败 [singular]BEAT/DEFEAT a situation in which a country, city etc is defeated by an enemy 〔国家、城市等的〕陷落，沦陷；战败，败亡fall of the fall of Jerusalem in AD70 公元70年耶路撒冷的沦陷 7  falls  (also Falls) [plural]DN a place where a river suddenly goes straight down over a cliff 瀑布 The spray from the falls is so dense that you can hardly see. 瀑布溅起的水雾密得让人看不清东西。 Niagara Falls 尼亚加拉大瀑布8. sport 体育运动 [countable]DSO an act of forcing your opponent onto the ground in wrestling or judo 〔摔跤或柔道中的〕压倒，按倒9  snow/rocks 雪/岩石 [countable]FALL an amount of snow, rocks etc that falls onto the ground 〔雪、岩石等的〕降落（量）fall of Fresh falls of snow were forecast. 预报还有几次降雪。 The road is blocked by a rock fall. 公路被落下的岩石堵住了。10. the Fall  (also the fall)RRC the occasion in the Bible when God punished Adam and Eve by making them leave the Garden of Eden 人类堕落〔指《圣经》中上帝惩罚亚当与夏娃，把他们赶出伊甸园〕n GRAMMAR: Patterns with fall (meaning 3)in the fall/in fall• You use in the fall or in fall when talking about something that happens during the fall season: He visited them in the fall.in the fall of• You use in the fall of with a year when saying when something happens: The project will be completed in the fall of 2018.last fall/this fall etcDon’t use in with these words:• You say last fall: She started college last fall. ✗Don’t say: She started college in last fall.• You say this fall: This fall the leaves are really beautiful. ✗Don’t say: In this fall the leaves are really beautiful.• You say next fall: The book will come out next fall. ✗Don’t say: The book will come out in next fall.• You say that fall: That fall I went to Kyoto. ✗Don’t say: In that fall I went to Kyoto.

Examples from the Corpus

fall• Fall is my favorite season.• There was a dramatic fall in temperature overnight.• Floyd investigated it soon after free fall had begun.• It's one of the heaviest falls of snow on record.• Senate attempts to include the provision failed three times last fall when supporters were unable to cut off debate.• The positioning of the stones will determine the type of fall.• It's a movie about the fall of France in 1940.• Here, the fall is 48 percent since the objective was introduced.• I sat listening to the fall of the rain on the roof.• It seemed that the wind had dropped a little with the fall of night.break ... fall• The crucifix had been broken by its fall.• Then the wave curled, broke, and fell.• Not break, fall or cry each time a hateful picture drifted in front of her face.• Wreckage in the vicinity of the break point fell first and was recovered in the westernmost of three major debris fields.• When you fall forward, fully conscious or not, you put out your hands to break your fall.• It is down, straight down, into the rank and file, and there is nothing to break the fall.• Half blinded by the foam, Christine scrambled for something to grab on to to break her fall.sharp/steep fall• There has been a sharp fall in the number of reported rapes involving strangers; these account for 12 % of attacks.• Separately, shares in forestry companies declined amid forecasts of a steep fall in cellulose prices, analysts said.• Two rival companies, Toshiba and Hitachi, saw a steep fall in profits.• As a result we have seen a sharp fall in the numbers who sleep rough on our streets.• An inadequate person in a job can lead to a sharp fall in morale or sales.• Whether the steep falls of yesterday turn into something more serious remains to be seen.• The steep fall in interest rates over the past two years has boosted their operating profits enormously. rise and fall• Her chest glistened, and rose and fell with her breathing.• Here white graves are garnished with angels, rising and falling down to the brink of the sea.• Over and over again, for twenty-five minutes, the heads rose and fell before the final triumphant cry of Allah hu-Akbar!• Meanwhile, that part of the building shifted, rising and falling with the seasons, and the floors creaked constantly.• It was like being in a loo that rose and fell.• We decided to withdraw, to return to a timescale measured by the rise and fall of the sun.• Jailed gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray were reputed to have earned £250,000 for the film about their rise and fall.• There, rising and falling with her every breath.nthe FallFall, the noun [S]  n1.the story in the Bible that tells how Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, disobeyed God. According to the story, God forbids Adam and Eve from eating the fruit (sometimes called ‘the apple’) on the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. The serpent (=snake) persuades Eve to taste the fruit, and then Eve gives the fruit to Adam to eat. They are ashamed of disobeying God and wear fig leaves because they are also now ashamed of having no clothes on. When they tell God that they have eaten the fruit he sends them out of the Garden of Eden. This story is supposed to describe the way that human beings first learnt about the difference between good and evil.From Longman Business Dictionaryfallfall1 /fɔːlfɒːl/ verb (past tense fell /fel/, past participle fallen /ˈfɔːlənˈfɒː-/)1[intransitive] to go down to a lower price, level, amount etcSales of new passenger cars in Europe fell 9.6%.fall toThe British pound fell to $1.7520 from $1.7850.The company went public at $17 a share, but its stock price has fallen sharply since then.The consumer confidence index fell steeply (=by a large amount) from 79.3 in May to 50.9 in October.2fall due if a payment falls due on or by a particular date, it must be made on or by that dateSubscriptions are payable annually and fall due on 1 December.Of these sums, $44.2 million fell due for repayment within one year and a further $22 million fell due after more than one year. → fall away → fall back → fall behind → fall off → fall through→ See Verb tablefallfall2 noun1[countable] a reduction in the amount, level, price etc of somethingfall inJapanese companies have tried to make up for a fall in domestic demand by increasing sales overseas.There has been a sharp fall in the price of copper.The steep fall in the Nikkei index means interest rates will stay low.2[singular] when a person or organization loses their position of power or becomes unsuccessfulthe rise and fall of the British motorcycle industryOrigin fall1 Old English feallan

fall1 verb →10-19 →20-29 →30-36
→REGISTER1 →THESAURUS1 →PHRASAL VERBS1fall2 noun →n GRAMMAR1Fall, the nounLDOCE OnlineChinese  

Business from drop or Corpus a move down to higher

Fall
Fall, the noun [S]
the story in the Bible that tells how Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, disobeyed God. According to the story, God forbids Adam and Eve from eating the fruit (sometimes called ‘the apple’) on the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. The serpent (=snake) persuades Eve to taste the fruit, and then Eve gives the fruit to Adam to eat. They are ashamed of disobeying God and wear fig leaves because they are also now ashamed of having no clothes on. When they tell God that they have eaten the fruit he sends them out of the Garden of Eden. This story is supposed to describe the way that human beings first learnt about the difference between good and evil.

fall

I

fall¹ S1 W1 /fɔːl $ fɒːl/ verb (past tense fell /fel/, past participle fallen /ˈfɔːlən $ ˈfɒːl-/)1.  MOVE DOWNWARDS  [intransitive] to move or drop down from a higher position to a lower position:
    The tree was about to fall.
    The book fell from his hands.
    Enough rain had fallen to flood the grounds.
    fall down
    Rob fell down the stairs.
    She flushed and her eyes fell (=she looked down).
2.  STOP STANDING/WALKING ETC  [intransitive] to suddenly go down onto the ground after you have been standing, walking, or running, especially without intending to:
    I fell and hit my head.
    slip/stumble/trip etc and fall
    He slipped and fell on the ice.
    fall down
    Lizzie fell down and hurt her knee.
    Peter was playing by the river when he fell in (=fell into the water).
    fall to/on your knees (=move down to the ground so that your body is resting on your knees)
    She fell to her knees beside his body. ⇨ fall flat on your face at flat³(5)
3.  DECREASE  [intransitive] to go down to a lower level, amount, price etc, especially a much lower one
   OPP  rise:
    The rate of inflation was falling.
    The island is warm all year round and winter temperatures never fall below 10 degrees.
    He believes that educational standards are falling.
    fall from
    Advertising revenue fell from $98.5 million to $93.3 million.
    fall to
    The number of subscribers had fallen to 1,000.
    fall sharply/steeply (=by a large amount)
    London share prices fell sharply yesterday.
  REGISTER
    In everyday English, people often say an amount or level goes down rather than falls:
   ▪ House prices have gone down again.
4.  BECOME  [intransitive, linking verb] to start to be in a new or different state
    fall adj
    I’ll stay with her until she falls asleep.
    I think that I’ve fallen in love with Angela.
    She fell ill with flu.
    Albert fell silent and turned his attention to his food.
    fall into
    The house was empty for many years and fell into disrepair.
    One false step can mean falling into debt.
    He fell into despair.
5.  BELONG TO A GROUP  [intransitive always + preposition] to belong to or be part of a particular group, area of responsibility, range of things, or type of things
    fall into
    Many illnesses fall into the category of stress-related illnesses.
    Leaders fall into two categories.
    fall within
    The judge said that this matter did not fall within the scope of the auditor’s duties.
    fall under
    The job falls under the heading of ‘sales and marketing’.
    Meat production falls under the control of the Agriculture Department.
6. fall short of something to be less than the amount or standard that is needed or that you want:
    This year’s profit will fall short of 13%.
    He would sack any of his staff who fell short of his high standards.
7. fall victim/prey to something/somebody to get a very serious illness or be attacked or deceived by someone:
    Breastfed babies are less likely to fall victim to stomach disorders.
    people who fall victim to violence
8. night/darkness/dusk falls if night etc falls, it starts to become dark at the beginning of the night:
    It grew colder as night fell.
    Darkness had fallen by the time we reached home.
9. silence/a hush/sadness etc falls literary used to say that a person, group, or place becomes quiet, sad etc:
    A long silence fell between us.
10.  START DOING SOMETHING  [intransitive] to start doing something or being involved with something, often without intending to:
    I fell into conversation with some guys from New York.
    He had fallen into the habit of having a coffee every time he passed the coffee machine.
11. fall into place
  a. if parts of a situation that you have been trying to understand fall into place, you start to understand how they are connected with each other:
    Suddenly, all the details started falling into place.
  b. if the parts of something that you want to happen fall into place, they start to happen in the way that you want:
    I was lucky because everything fell into place at exactly the right time.
12. fall to pieces/bits
  a. to break into many pieces
   SYN  fall apart:
    The book had been well used and finally fell to pieces.
  b. if something such as a plan or a relationship falls to pieces, it stops working properly
   SYN  fall apart:
    The family is falling to pieces.
13. be falling to pieces/bits if something is falling to pieces, it is in very bad condition, especially because it is very old
   SYN  be falling apart:
    The house is falling to pieces.
14. fall flat if a joke, remark, or performance falls flat, it fails to interest or amuse people:
    Marlow’s attempts at jokes fell flat.
15. fall foul of somebody/something to do something which makes someone angry or which breaks a rule, with the result that you are punished:
    He is worried that his teenage kids will fall foul of the law.
16. fall by the wayside to fail, or to stop being done, used, or made:
    Health reform was one of his goals that fell by the wayside.
    Luxury items fall by the wayside during a recession.
17. fall from grace/favour to stop being liked by people in authority:
    He fell from grace for the first time when he was convicted of drink-driving.
18. fall from a great height to be forced to leave an important job or position, or lose the respect that people had for you
19. fall into the hands/clutches of somebody if something or someone falls into the hands of an enemy or dangerous person, the enemy etc gets control or possession of them:
    He wants to prevent the business falling into the hands of a competitor.
    We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands.
20. fall into a trap/pitfall to make a mistake that many people make:
    Don’t fall into the trap of feeling guilty.
21. fall into step
  a. to start to walk next to someone else, at the same speed as them
    fall into step beside/with
    Holly slowed her pace and fell into step with the old man.
  b. to start doing something in the same way as the other members of a group
    fall into step with
    The other countries on the Council are expected to fall into step with the US.
22. fall into line to obey someone or do what other people want you to do, especially when you do not want to do it at first:
    Most countries have signed the treaty but some are reluctant to fall into line.
23.  HANG DOWN  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hang down loosely
    fall over
    His dark hair fell over his face.
24.  LIGHT/SHADOW  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to shine on a surface or go onto a surface:
    The last rays of sunlight were falling on the fields.
    Arthur’s shadow fell across the doorway.
25.  SPECIAL EVENT/CELEBRATION  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to happen on a particular day or at a particular time:
    I’d like to dedicate this record to all whose anniversaries fall at this time of year.
    fall on
    Her birthday will fall on a Friday this year.
26.  LOSE POWER  [intransitive] if a leader or a government falls, they lose their position of power:
    The previous government fell after only 6 months in office.
27.  BE TAKEN BY AN ENEMY  [intransitive] if a place falls in a war or an election, a group of soldiers or a political party takes control of it
    fall to
    The city fell to the advancing Russian armies.
28.  BE KILLED  [intransitive] to be killed in a war
   SYN  die
29.  HIT  [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit a particular place or a particular part of someone’s body
    fall on
    The first punch fell on his nose.
30.  VOICE/SOUND  [intransitive] if someone’s voice or a sound falls, it becomes quieter or lower
   OPP  rise
31. it’s as easy as falling off a log spoken used to say that something is very easy to do
32. fall between two stools British English to be neither one type of thing nor another, or be unable to choose between two ways of doing something
33. fall on stony ground British English if a request, suggestion, joke etc falls on stony ground, it is ignored or people do not like it
34. fall from sb’s lips literary if words fall from someone’s lips, they say them
35. fall into sb’s lap if an opportunity falls into someone’s lap, they get it without having made any effort to get it
36. the stress/accent/beat falls on something used to say that a particular part of a word, phrase, or piece of music is emphasized or is played more loudly than the rest:
    In the word ‘report’, the stress falls on the second syllable.
⇨ be/fall under a spell at spell²(3), ⇨ fall on your feet at foot¹(19), ⇨ sb’s face fell at face¹(2), ⇨ stand or fall by/on at stand¹(33)
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ fall (also fall over, fall down) to suddenly go down onto the floor when standing, walking, or running: She fell on the stairs and broke her ankle. | Children are always falling over.
   ▪ trip on/over something to fall or almost fall when you hit your foot against something: Someone might trip over those toys. | I tripped on a piece of wood.
   ▪ slip to fall or almost fall when you are walking on a wet or very smooth surface: She slipped and hurt her ankle. | I was scared I would slip on the highly polished floor.
   ▪ stumble to almost fall when you put your foot down in an awkward way: He stumbled and almost fell. | One of our porters stumbled on the rough ground.
   ▪ collapse to fall suddenly and heavily to the ground, especially when you become unconscious: One of the runners collapsed halfway through the race.
   ▪ lose your balance to become unsteady so that you start to fall over: She lost her balance on the first step and fell down the stairs. | Have something to hold onto, in case you lose your balance.
   ▪ fall flat on your face to fall forwards so you are lying on your front on the ground: She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.
     
fall about phrasal verb British English
  to laugh a lot about something:
    It was so funny everyone just fell about laughing.
fall apart phrasal verb
  1. if an organization, system, relationship etc falls apart, it stops being effective or successful:
    Don’t be reckless or your plans may fall apart.
    The health service is falling apart at the seams.
  2. be falling apart to be in very bad condition:
    Tommy’s old bicycle was rusty and falling apart.
  3. to break into pieces:
    The book fell apart in my hands.
  4. to be unable to deal with your personal or emotional problems:
    She had to get some rest or she was going to fall apart.
  5. sb’s world/life falls apart if someone’s world or life falls apart, something very bad and serious happens which changes their life:
    When his wife left him, his world fell apart.
fall away phrasal verb
  1. to slope down:
    From where we stood, the ground fell away sharply to the valley floor.
  2. to become separated from something after being fixed to it:
    The paint was falling away in patches.
  3. if a feeling falls away, you stop having it, usually suddenly:
    The view from the top was wonderful and our tiredness fell away.
  4. British English to decrease
   SYN  fall
   OPP  rise:
    Demand for our more theoretical courses has fallen away.
fall back phrasal verb
  1. if soldiers fall back, they move back because they are being attacked
   SYN  retreat:
    He yelled for his men to fall back.
  2. to move backwards because you are very surprised, frightened etc:
    Scott fell back a pace in astonishment.
  3. British English to decrease
   SYN  fall
   OPP  rise:
    When inflation started to rise, house prices fell back.
fall back into something phrasal verb
  to go back to doing something or behaving in a way which you did before:
    I was amazed at how easily I fell back into the old routine.
fall back on somebody/something phrasal verb
  to use something or depend on someone’s help when dealing with a difficult situation, especially after other methods have failed
    have somebody/something to fall back on
    She has no relatives to fall back on.
    Where negotiation fails, they must fall back on the law. ⇨ fallback
fall behind (somebody/something) phrasal verb
  1. to go more slowly than other people so that they gradually move further ahead of you:
    His mother was chatting and didn’t notice that he had fallen behind.
    She hurt her ankle and had fallen behind the others.
  2. to become less successful than other people, companies, countries etc:
    After her time in hospital, Jenny’s parents are afraid she has fallen behind educationally.
    Companies that are not market-driven risk falling behind the competition.
  3. to fail to finish a piece of work or pay someone money that you owe them at the right time
    fall behind (somebody/something) with/on
    After losing his job, he fell behind with his mortgage payments.
    The project has fallen behind schedule.
fall down phrasal verb
  1. be falling down if a building is falling down, it is in very bad condition:
    The bridge is falling down and will need a million dollars to repair it.
  2. to fail because of a particular reason or in a particular way:
    That’s where the whole argument falls down.
    fall down on
    He is falling down on the supervisory aspects of his job.
    The local authority is falling down on the job of keeping the streets clean.
fall for somebody/something phrasal verb informal
  1. to be tricked into believing something that is not true:
    He is too smart to fall for that trick.
  2. to start to love someone:
    That was the summer I worked at the fairground, and met and fell for Lucy.
  3. to like a place as soon as you see it
fall in phrasal verb
  1. if the roof, ceiling etc falls in, it falls onto the ground
   SYN  collapse
  2. to start walking or forming a line of people behind someone else
    fall in behind
    His men fell in behind him.
fall into something phrasal verb
  1. to move somewhere quickly by relaxing your body and letting it fall on something:
    She turned and fell into his arms.
    We fell into bed, exhausted.
  2. to start doing something by chance:
    I fell into the job really.
fall in with somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. to accept someone’s ideas, decisions etc and not disagree with them:
    Once she explained her problem, he was happy to fall in with her plans.
  2. to become friendly with a person or group of people after meeting them by chance
   SYN  get in with:
    She fell in with the wrong crowd in her teens.
fall off phrasal verb
  1. fall off (something) if part of something falls off, it becomes separated from the main part:
    The door handle keeps falling off.
    A button had fallen off her jacket.
  2. if the amount, rate, or quality of something falls off, it decreases
   SYN  fall
   OPP  rise:
    Audience figures fell off during the second series of the programme.
  3. somebody nearly/almost fell off their chair spoken used to say that someone was very surprised when something happened:
    When I saw my brother on the stage I nearly fell off my chair.
  ⇨ fall off the back of a lorry at lorry
fall on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. if a duty or job falls on someone, they are responsible for doing it:
    The responsibility usually falls on the mother.
  2. literary to eagerly start eating or using something:
    She fell on the food as if she hadn’t eaten for days.
  3. literary to suddenly attack or get hold of someone:
    Some of the older boys fell on him and broke his glasses.
  4. sb’s eyes/gaze/glance fall(s) on something if your eyes etc fall on something, you notice it:
    His eyes fell on her bag. ‘Are you going somewhere?’
  5. fall on hard/bad times to experience difficulties and problems in your life such as not having enough money:
    The aim is to raise money for workers who have fallen on hard times.
  6. fall on your sword to leave your job because your organization has done something wrong, and you are taking responsibility for it:
    It was clear that the Prime Minister wanted her to fall on her sword.
  ⇨ fall on deaf ears at deaf(5)
fall out phrasal verb
  1. to have a quarrel
    fall out with
    Carrie’s always falling out with people.
  2. if a tooth or your hair falls out, it is then no longer attached to your body:
    The drugs made her hair fall out.
  3. if soldiers fall out, they stop standing in a line and move away to different places
fall over phrasal verb
  1. to fall onto the ground or to fall from an upright position:
    Tommy fell over and cut his knee badly.
    Her bike fell over.
  2. fall over something to hit your foot against something by mistake and fall to the ground
   SYN  trip over:
    She fell over the dog and broke her front teeth.
  3. fall over yourself to do something to be very eager to do something, especially something you do not usually do:
    People were falling over themselves to help her.
fall through phrasal verb
  if an agreement, plan, sale etc falls through, it is not completed successfully:
    The studio planned to make a movie of the book but the deal fell through.
fall to somebody/something phrasal verb
  1. if a duty or job falls to someone, they are responsible for doing it, especially when this is difficult or unpleasant:
    It fell to me to give her the bad news.
  2. written to start doing something:
    They fell to work with a will.
    fall to doing something
    He fell to thinking about how nice a warm bath would be.

II

fall² S2 W2 noun
1.  MOVEMENT DOWN  [countable] movement down towards the ground or towards a lower position:
    the first fall of autumn leaves
    The rise and fall of the dancers’ bodies creates a pattern.
    Mrs Evans had a fall (=fell to the ground) and broke her leg.
    He stretched out his hands to break his fall (=prevent himself from falling too quickly and hurting himself).
2.  REDUCTION  [countable] a reduction in the amount, level, price etc of something
   OPP  rise
    fall in
    There has been a fall in oil prices.
    sharp/steep fall
    the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countries
    fall of
    Their industrial output went down again in December, which meant a fall of 2.2% over the year.
3.  SEASON  [singular] American English the season between summer and winter, when leaves change colour and the weather becomes slightly colder
   SYN  autumn:
    Eleanor plans to go to Southwestern Community College this fall.
    The area is beautiful in the fall.
4.  LOSS OF POWER/SUCCESS  [singular] a situation in which someone or something loses their position of power or becomes unsuccessful
    fall from
    The president lived on for twenty years after his fall from power.
    the story of Napoleon’s rise and fall (=period of success followed by failure)
    Rumours are that the company is heading for a fall (=is likely to fail soon).
5. fall from grace a situation in which someone stops being respected by other people or loses their position of authority, especially because they have done something wrong:
    He was the head of the intelligence service until his fall from grace.
6.  DEFEAT  [singular] a situation in which a country, city etc is defeated by an enemy
    fall of
    the fall of Jerusalem in AD70
7. falls (also Falls) [plural] a place where a river suddenly goes straight down over a cliff:
    The spray from the falls is so dense that you can hardly see.
    Niagara Falls
8.  SPORT  [countable] an act of forcing your opponent onto the ground in wrestling or judo
9.  SNOW/ROCKS  [countable] an amount of snow, rocks etc that falls onto the ground
    fall of
    Fresh falls of snow were forecast.
    The road is blocked by a rock fall.
10. the Fall (also the fall) the occasion in the Bible when God punished Adam and Eve by making them leave the Garden of Eden
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ decrease used when the number, amount, or level of something becomes less than it used to be: There has been a significant decrease in the number of deaths from lung cancer. | a 5% decrease in housing prices
   ▪ reduction used when the price, amount, or level of something is made lower: There will be further price reductions in the sales. | A small reduction in costs can mean a large increase in profits.
   ▪ cut used when a government or company reduces the price, amount, or level of something: a 1% cut in interest rates | tax cuts | It is possible that there will be further job cuts.
   ▪ drop/fall used when the number, amount, or level of something goes down, especially by a large amount: The figures showed a sharp fall in industrial output. | There was a dramatic drop in temperature.
   ▪ decline used when the number, amount, level, or standard of something goes down, especially gradually: During the 1970s, there was a gradual decline in the birthrate. | a decline in educational standards