fall about Definition

fall
verb, intr fell, fallen, falling

1. To descend or drop freely and involuntarily, especially accidentally, by force of gravity.

Thesaurus: plunge, descend, sink, drop, decline, subside, collapse, cave in; Antonym: rise, ascend, climb.
2. Said of someone, or something upright: to drop to the ground after losing balance.

Thesaurus: topple, stumble, trip, tumble, slip.
Form: fall over (also)
Form: fall down
3. Said of a building, bridge, etc: to collapse.
4. Said of rain, snow, etc: to come down from the sky; to precipitate.
5. Said eg of hair: to hang down.
6. Said of a blow, glance, shadow, light, etc: to land.

Example: The blow fell sharply on his jaw
Example: The light of the moon fell on the trees
Form: fall on something (usually)
7. To go naturally or easily into position.

Example: fell open at page 69
8. Said of a government, leader, etc: to lose power; to be no longer able to govern.
9. Said of a stronghold: to be captured.
10. Said of defences or barriers: to be lowered or broken down.
11. To die or be badly wounded in battle, etc.
12. To give in to temptation; to sin.
13. Said eg of value, temperature, etc: to become less.
14. Said of sound: to diminish.
15. Said eg of silence: to intervene.
16. Said of darkness or night: to arrive.
17. To pass into a certain state; to begin to be in that state.

Example: fall asleep
Example: fall in love
Example: fall unconscious
18. To be grouped or classified in a certain way.

Example: falls into two categories
19. To occur at a certain time or place.

Example: The accent falls on the first syllable
20. Said of someone's face: to show disappointment.

noun

1. An act or way of falling.

Thesaurus: tumble, slip, spill, plunge, plummet, nosedive.
2. Something, or an amount, that falls.

Thesaurus: decline, descent, drop; Antonym: rise, elevation, ascent.
3. A waterfall.

Form: falls (often)
4. A drop in eg quality, quantity, value, temperature, etc.

Example: A fall in interest rates was announced
Thesaurus: lessening, reduction, diminution, miniaturization; loss, collapse, decrease, decline, drop, downward spiral.
5. A defeat or collapse.

Thesaurus: capture, overthrow, ruin, destruction, resignation, capitulation, surrender.
(N Amer)
6. Autumn.

Form: Fall (also)
7. wrestling.
A manoeuvre by which one pins one's opponent's shoulders to the ground.

Idiom: break someone's fall

To stop them landing with the full impact of a free fall; to cushion their fall.

Idiom: fall between two stools

To be neither one thing nor the other.

To succeed in neither of two alternatives.

Idiom: fall flat on one's face

To come to grief; to fail dismally.

Idiom: fall from grace

Said of a person: to lose standing.

Idiom: fall foul of someone or something

To get into trouble or conflict with them or it.

Idiom: fall head over heels

To fall hopelessly (in love).

Idiom: fall on one's feet

To come out of a difficult situation advantageously.

To gain an unexpectedly good fortune.

Idiom: fall over oneself (fall over backwards)

colloq
To be strenuously or noticeably eager to please or help.

Idiom: fall short (fall short of something)

To turn out not to be enough; to be insufficient.
Thesaurus: be deficient, be lacking, come short.

To fail to attain or reach what is aimed at. See also shortfall.
Thesaurus: fail, be deficient, be lacking, come short.

Idiom: fall to pieces (fall to bits)

Said of something: to break up; to disintegrate.

Said of someone: to be unable to carry on or function normally, especially because of overwhelming grief, etc.
Example: fell to pieces when his wife died

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon feallan.

Phrasal Verb: fall about

To be helpless with laughter.

Phrasal Verb: fall apart

To break in pieces.To fail; to collapse.

Phrasal Verb: fall away

Said of land: to slope downwards.To become fewer or less.To disappear.

Phrasal Verb: fall back

To move back; to retreat.

Phrasal Verb: fall back on something

To make use of it in an emergency. See also fall-back.

Phrasal Verb: fall behind or fall behind with something

To fail to keep up with someone, with one's work, etc.To be late in paying instalments, rent, etc.

Phrasal Verb: fall down

Said of an argument, etc: to be shown to be invalid.

Phrasal Verb: fall down on something

To fail in a task; to do it unsatisfactorily, especially a particular part of a larger task.

Phrasal Verb: fall for someone

To become infatuated with them, or fall in love with them.

Phrasal Verb: fall for something

To be deceived or taken in by it; to be conned by it.

Phrasal Verb: fall in

Said eg of a roof: to collapse.Said of a soldier, etc: to take his or her place in a parade.

Phrasal Verb: fall into something

To become involved in it, especially by chance or without having put much effort into getting there.

Phrasal Verb: fall in with someone

To chance to meet or coincide with them.

Phrasal Verb: fall in with something

To agree to it; to support it.

Phrasal Verb: fall off

To decline in quality or quantity; to become less.

Phrasal Verb: fall on or upon someone

To attack them.To embrace them passionately.

Phrasal Verb: fall out

Said of soldiers: to come out of military formation. See also fall-out.To happen in the end; to turn out.

Phrasal Verb: fall out with someone

To quarrel with them, and then not talk to them or have contact with them for a period of time. See also fall-out.

Phrasal Verb: fall through

Said of a plan, etc: to fail; to come to nothing.

Phrasal Verb: fall to someone

To become their job or duty.
Example: It falls to me to deal with the matter