fall1 verbfall2 noun
fallfall1 /fɔːl $ fɒːl/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense fell /fel/, past participle fallen /ˈfɔːlən $ ˈfɒːl-/) 
WORD ORIGINfall1
Origin:
Old English feallanVERB TABLE
fall
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | fall |
| he, she, it | falls | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | fell |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have fallen |
| he, she, it | has fallen | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had fallen |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will fall |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have fallen |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am falling |
| he, she, it | is falling | |
| you, we, they | are falling | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was falling |
| you, we, they | were falling | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been falling |
| he, she, it | has been falling | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been falling |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be falling |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been falling |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A light rain was falling.
- A shadow fell across his face, hiding his expression.
- A tree had fallen across the road and blocked it.
- Aston Villa fell 3 places in the league after their defeat by Barnsley.
- Bombs fell on the streets, destroying neighbouring homes, but leaving the school intact.
- Careful that box doesn't fall on you, Charlotte!
- Darkness fell on the town and the streetlights came on one by one.
- Don't worry - I'll catch you if you fall.
- Fred fell out of the tree and broke his arm.
- George held on tightly, afraid that he might fall.
- He reportedly fell in battle on June 17th.
- I can't find my passport - it must have fallen out of my pocket.
- I sat in bed, listening to the rain fall.
- Just as we were about to leave the house, rain began to fall.
- Katie fell and scraped her knee.
- Leaves were falling from the trees.
- Maria's hair fell over her shoulders.
- One of the climbers fell fifty feet.
- She opened the cupboard and everything fell out.
- She was going up the stairs when she fell.
- A man tall and princely-looking was sitting by the hearth where the firelight fell full on him.
- 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.
- Its price fell 75 yen per 50, 000 in face value.
- Mabel Boll was exactly the kind of person upon whom Guest was determined the mantle of fame would not fall.
- Mukhamedov's defection two years ago, just as Communism was falling apart, will not be forgiven in a hurry.
- One of the glasses had fallen on to its side and a red stain had spread from it on to the tablecloth.
- She watched the keys fall, noting that they fell more slowly than they would have done on the Earth.
THESAURUS
(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.
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.
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.
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.
to fall suddenly and heavily to the ground, especially when you become unconscious: · One of the runners collapsed halfway through the race.
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.
to fall forwards so you are lying on your front on the ground: · She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.
Longman Language Activatorwhen someone accidentally falls from a standing position to accidentally fall from a standing position: · She was going up the stairs when she fell.· George held on tightly, afraid that he might fall.fall down the stairs/steps etc: · There was concern for the Queen Mother yesterday after she fell down a short flight of steps at the airport.
to fall onto the ground from a standing position: · Ben fell down and scraped his knee.· Beginning skiers can expect to fall down a lot.· The pavement was slippery and it was easy to fall over.
British if someone, especially an old person, has a fall , they fall and hurt themselves: · My neighbour has had a fall and broken a rib.· Grandma had a bad fall in the snow that winter.
to fall quickly down a slope or down stairs, rolling over and over and unable to stop: tumble down/off/into etc: · She tumbled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom.· A bus veered off the road and tumbled down the hill into the river below.
to fall over suddenly so that you are lying on your front on the ground, especially in a way that makes you look funny: · She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.· The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.
to fall suddenly and heavily onto the ground, into a chair etc, because of tiredness, illness, or injury: · One of the horses collapsed from exhaustion after the race.collapse on: · Cohen was hospitalized after he collapsed on the floor and briefly lost consciousness.collapse into: · Milligan collapsed into a chair, sighing deeply.
to suddenly fall to the ground, because you are ill or have had a shock: · She'd been complaining of a headache all morning, and suddenly she just keeled over.· Carson keeled over and died in front of the nightclub after taking a number of illegal drugs.
to fall forward with so much force that you roll over: · She slipped on the polished floor and went head over heels.· Shelly's horse stepped into soft sand and went down, horse and rider going head over heels in a cloud of dust.
to almost fall from a standing position also trip over British to accidentally hit something with your foot when you are walking or running, so that you fall or nearly fall: · I didn't push him - he tripped.· She'd had quite a lot to drink and kept tripping over.trip over: · Pick up that box -- someone might trip over it.trip on: · Her medical problems began when she tripped on a rug and broke her hip.trip and fall: · One boy tripped and fell into the water.
to accidentally slide on a wet or smooth surface, so that you fall or nearly fall: · Be careful you don't slip - the floor's wet.slip on : · She slipped on the icy sidewalk and grabbed Will's arm to steady herself.slip and fall: · I walked slowly through the mud, trying not to slip and fall.
to nearly fall down when you are walking or running, because you do not put your foot down carefully or because something is in the way: · In her hurry, Eva stumbled and dropped the tray she was carrying.stumble on/over: · Mason headed towards the house, stumbling on the rough ground.
to fall or nearly fall, when you need to balance carefully to remain in an upright position, for example when you are standing on a ladder or riding a bicycle: · I tried to help Gina up, but I lost my balance and we both fell into the stream.· Bill was leaning over to watch, and lost his balance.
to lose your balance because your foot slips, especially when you are walking or climbing over an uneven or slippery surface: · I lost my footing on the snowy bank and fell into the river.· A climber who lost his footing was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
when an upright object, a building, a wall, etc falls · She was playing just yards from where the building fell.fall across/onto/on top of · A tree had fallen across the road and blocked it.fall off/out of/from · The days were getting shorter and the leaves had started falling from the trees· I can't find my passport - it must have fallen out of my pocket.
if a tall object falls over , it falls onto its side from an upright position: · That bookcase looks as if it's about to fall over.· There was no wind; the tree just fell over.
if a building, wall, or fence falls down , part or all of it falls to the ground, because it is in bad condition or because it has been damaged: · A boy was injured yesterday when part of a wall fell down near to where he was playing.· A large tree fell down during a windstorm and damaged our car.
if a building, wall etc collapses , it suddenly falls down, especially because of a sudden pressure: · Our tent collapsed in the middle of the night.· The building was badly damaged in the explosion, and rescue workers are worried that it may collapse.· Minutes later the second tower collapsed.
if a roof falls in , it falls to the ground inside the building: · During the hurricane the roof fell in.fall in on: · We need to fix the ceiling before it falls in on us.
if a roof, wall etc caves in , it suddenly and heavily falls inwards especially because it is weak and in bad condition: · The roof has caved in, so the whole building has been declared unsafe.cave in on: · Wooden beams support the roof, preventing it from caving in on the miners.
if something topples over , it moves unsteadily backwards and forwards then falls to the ground: · The little boy put one more brick on the tower and it toppled over.· That plant's going to topple over if you don't put it in a bigger pot.
to suddenly turn and fall to the ground as a result of not being properly balanced: · I sat on the edge of the table, and the whole thing tipped over.· The fire started when a lamp tipped over and ignited a cloth sofa.
to fall through the air to the ground · One of the climbers fell fifty feet.· A light rain was falling.fall out/into/from etc · She opened the cupboard and everything fell out.· There should be spaces between the boards of the deck to allow debris to fall through.· Fred fell out of the tree and broke his arm.· The girl had fallen from a fourth-floor window, but was not badly hurt.fall on · Careful that box doesn't fall on you, Charlotte!
to accidentally fall from something in a high position to the ground: · Jim was laughing so hard he fell off his chair.· A bag of groceries fell off the table onto the floor.
to suddenly fall a long way from somewhere high up: · The aeroplane's engines failed and it plunged into the ocean.plunge off/down/into etc: · Their car swerved to avoid a truck, and plunged off the cliff.plunge to your death (=fall a long way and be killed): · A skydiver plunged to his death yesterday when his parachute failed to open.
to fall from somewhere high up, very quickly and very directly: · The rope snapped, causing the climber to plummet several hundred feet down the mountain.· Two aircraft on a training flight collided and plummeted to the ground.
to fall suddenly from a high place straight down onto or towards the ground: drop onto/to/from etc: · Two bottles rolled across the table, dropped onto the floor, and smashed.· A few pine cones had already dropped to the ground.
to fall quickly through the air, rolling over and over: tumble down/off/from etc: · A little girl tumbled about 30 feet from the window of her family's third-floor apartment.
if rain, snow etc comes down , it falls heavily: · We can't go out now -- the rain's really coming down.· Snow was coming down so thickly I could barely see through the window.
to fall off a horse, bicycle etc to accidentally fall from something you are riding on, for example a horse or a bicycle: · He fell off his bike and broke his wrist.· A bolt broke on an amusement park ride, and several children who fell off were seriously injured.
to fall off a horse or similar animal because of a violent or sudden movement: · Rodeo riders can suffer appalling injuries after being thrown by bulls and steers.be thrown from: · He broke his neck when he was thrown from a horse.
to deliberately make someone fall to push or hit someone hard, so that they fall to the ground: knock somebody over/down: · Careful where you're going! You nearly knocked me over!· In the rush to get out of the building, she was knocked down.knock down/over somebody: · Some of the bigger boys purposely knock over the smaller ones.
also trip up British to make someone fall or almost fall by putting your foot or another object in their way: · One of the runners claimed she had been tripped.trip somebody up: · One man tripped me up and the other one grabbed my handbag.
to deliberately push someone with your hand so that they fall to the ground: · Another little kid came and pushed him over onto the grass.
to hit someone so hard that they lose their balance and fall to the ground: · A teenage boy knocked him to the ground and ran off with his briefcase.
to let something fall or make something fall to stop holding something so that it falls, especially accidentally: · Watch you don't drop that box - it's very heavy.· Her hands shake constantly and she keeps dropping things.· You dropped your toy. Do you want it back?drop something on/onto something: · Margaret dropped the letters onto her desk.
to hit something so that it falls onto its side from an upright position, especially when you do this accidentally: knock something over: · Be careful or you'll knock the vase over.knock over something: · He bumped into the table and knocked over the candle.
to accidentally let liquid, powder, or small pieces of something fall onto a surface and spread out over it: · Oops, I just spilled my water.spill something down/all over/onto something: · "How was the party?" "OK, but some idiot spilled wine all over my new dress."· Aaron spilled all the popcorn on the floor.
to make something fall over, usually accidentally, by making it lose balance: tip something over: · The cat managed to tip the Christmas tree over.tip over something: · He accidentally tipped over a candle, and the tablecloth caught fire.
to make something fall on its side or turn something over completely, especially by pushing it very hard: · The wind was so strong that it overturned dustbins and wrecked fences.· Protestors overturned cars and set fire to them.
to accidentally knock or push something over, so that its contents fall out and spread over a wide area: · One of the kids upset a bottle of water on the table.
to agree to someone else's plan or suggestion to say yes to someone else's plan or suggestion: · Charles suggested going for a picnic, and we all agreed.· The project can't go ahead until the finance committee agrees.agree to: · The Council of Ministers would never agree to such a plan.· Few people expect the rebels to agree to the peace plan.agree wholeheartedly (=agree completely and very willingly): · When I proposed that in future we should hold our meetings in the bar, the others agreed wholeheartedly.
to agree with someone else's plan or suggestion, even if you are not sure if it is the right thing to do: · We went along with Eva's idea, since no one could think of a better one.· Usually it was easier just to go along with him, rather than risk an argument.· The bank decided to go along with our proposal and lent us the two million pounds we needed.
British to accept someone's plan or suggestion and do what they want you to do: · She expects her friends to fall in with everything she wants to do.· He was irritated by her refusal to fall in with his plans.
American to accept someone's plan or suggestion: · We considered all the options and decided to go with John's original proposal.
to argue if people argue , they speak angrily to each other because they disagree about something: · Jim and Beth seem to spend all their time arguing.argue with: · Don't argue with me, John. Just do what I tell you.argue about/over: · The two men at the bar were arguing about politics.· My kids spend more time arguing over the rules than they do playing the game.
if two people quarrel , they argue angrily and may stop being friends with each other: · Whenever my sisters meet they always end up quarrelling.quarrel with: · She left home after quarrelling with her parents.quarrel about/over: · The two brothers had quarreled over ownership of the farm.
to argue in an angry and violent way, especially with someone you know well: · Kerry's parents are always fighting -- I'm not surprised she left home.fight over/about: · Two men fighting over a parking space were arrested earlier today.· If you two don't stop fighting about what to watch I'm going to send you to your room.
also have a row British informal if two people have a fight or have a row , they argue very angrily and noisily: have a fight with: · April had a fight with her boyfriend and doesn't want to come out of her room.have a fight about/over: · Kelvin and his wife have endless rows over money.
British to stop having a friendly relationship with someone, because you have disagreed with them: · I think she's fallen out with her boyfriend.fall out with about/over: · Murray left the company after he fell out with the chairman over his salary.
if two people or groups are at each other's throats , they are always arguing in a very angry way because they cannot agree about something: · Congress and the President have been at each other's throats for so long that it's a wonder they can agree on anything.
if two groups of people clash , they argue publicly with each other about a particular subject -- used in news reports: clash with somebody: · Democrats clashed with Republicans last night in a heated debate about unemployment.clash over something: · France and Britain are likely to clash over the proposed space programme.
to break into a lot of pieces · One of the mugs rolled off the table and broke into bits on the stone floor.· Investigators are not sure what caused the plane to break into pieces and plunge into the ocean.
if a large object breaks up , it breaks into a lot of pieces especially as a result of natural forces, or serious damage: · The ice breaks up quicker near the shore.· Two of the missiles apparently broke up in flight.· The comet was formed when a planet broke up at some time in the distant past.
British go to pieces American to break into a lot of small pieces, especially because of being weak, old, or badly made: · The book had been read again and again, until it finally fell to pieces.· I picked the bag up, and it went to pieces in my hands.· The trunk was full of old dresses, some of which were falling to pieces.
to break easily into pieces, especially because of being badly made or very old: · I only bought these shoes last week, and they're falling apart already.· His jacket started coming apart at the seams.
if something disintegrates , it breaks into a lot of small pieces so that it is completely destroyed or so that it completely changes its form: · A 50-foot section of the roadway began to disintegrate after only a few cars had passed over it.· The plane disintegrated in midair.· The mummified man's clothes had disintegrated almost completely, but appeared to be mainly of leather and fur.
if something, especially glass, shatters , it breaks suddenly into a lot of very small pieces because it has been dropped or hit: · The glass had shattered, but the photograph itself was undamaged.· Storefront windows shattered and roofs blew off during the hurricane.· Don't try to drive nails into the bricks, they may shatter.
to noisily break into pieces as a result of being dropped or hit: · I heard something smash. What broke?smash to pieces/bits: · The bottle rolled off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor.
if something such as wood splinters , it breaks into thin, sharp pieces: · These types of wood splinter more easily than redwood or cedar.· The coating helps prevent the glass from splintering if it is hit by a rock while you are driving.
to break easily into a powder or into small pieces, especially as a result of being old or dry: · The autumn leaves crumbled in my fingers.· Some of the tiles are crumbling around the edges.
if something such as a tyre or a pipe bursts , the force of the air, water etc inside makes it break into many pieces: · The Concorde disaster was caused by a tyre bursting.· Thousands of gallons of oil flowed into the river when an oil pipeline burst.
especially American if a tyre blows , it breaks open suddenly and all the air comes out of it: · One of the tires blew and they skidded into the center divider.
to get cold or colder · It's getting colder - I guess winter's on its way.· Hey, John, your soup's getting cold.
if the weather or the wind turns cold or colder , it becomes much colder, usually suddenly: · I need to finish fixing the roof before the weather turns cold.· The wind had turned cold and Billy took off his coat and gave it to the girl.
if the temperature drops or falls it becomes colder, often much colder in a short period of time: · Fortunately the temperature never dropped low enough to freeze the pipes.drop 10/20/30 etc degrees: · The temperature dropped 10 degrees during the night.
if something cools down , it becomes colder after being hot: · It's been hot all summer, but it's finally starting to cool down a little.· If the engine overheats, switch it off and do not start it again until it has cooled down.
if hot food or some other hot substance cools , it becomes colder: · She took the cake out of the oven and left it on the kitchen table to cool.· Most liquids contract steadily as they cool.
to get into bad condition if a building, structure, or machine falls into disrepair , its condition gradually becomes worse because no one looks after it: · Dave and Sally couldn't afford to get anything done to the house and it fell into disrepair.· Standing in the fields were pieces of farm machinery that had long since fallen into disrepair.
if something goes to rack and ruin , its condition gets worse and worse and no one tries to repair it until it becomes impossible to save or repair: let something go to rack and ruin: · He's let his father's old house go to rack and ruin.· It seems that the government is prepared to let all our hospitals and schools go to rack and ruin.
to become dark when it gets dark , the sky becomes dark, usually because it is night: · It was getting dark, and we were worried that we wouldn't make it back to the village before nightfall. · When we were camping we used to go to sleep as soon as it got dark.· It's getting very dark out there -- there's going to be a storm.
if natural light fades , it gradually becomes weaker, because night is coming: · The light slowly began to fade and the trees became mere shadows.· I want to take some photographs before the light fades.
if the sky darkens , it gradually becomes darker than before, often because of bad weather: · In a few minutes the sky darkened and heavy rain began to fall.· We walked along the shore as the sun's last rays winked over the darkening sea, then headed for home.
: night/evening/darkness falls use this especially in stories to say that the night begins and it becomes dark: · We got back home just as night was falling.· Darkness fell on the town and the streetlights came on one by one.
if a room, building etc is plunged into darkness it is suddenly made dark because all the lights have been turned off: · Suddenly the light went out and the narrow stairs were plunged into darkness.· Lightning struck the power lines, plunging half the city into darkness.
to disagree strongly with someone if two people or groups are at loggerheads , they strongly disagree with each other and argue, usually about how to deal with a problem or decision: · As a result of the strike, neighbours and even families were soon at loggerheads.be at loggerheads over/about: · Congress and the President are still at loggerheads over how to balance the federal budget.
to disagree with a person, organization, or way of thinking and be opposed to them - used especially in news reports: be at odds with: · Britain and France were constantly at odds with each other throughout the negotiations.be at odds over: · The two sides are still at odds over a pay increase for airline pilots.
British to disagree strongly with someone and argue with them about it so that your good relationship with them is damaged: · Jung and Freud fell out when Jung disagreed with some of Freud's central theories.fall out with: · Maria fell out with some of her colleagues and decided to look for a new job.fall out (with somebody) over: · They fell out over some stupid little issue.
to strongly disagree with someone and to be continuously opposing them and arguing against their actions and intentions: · Rather than be in continual conflict with his boss, Bruce moved to another job.· Union leaders are again in conflict with management, this time over job losses.
having or resulting from such completely different aims or opinions that agreement is impossible: · The split in the Liberal party seems to be irreconcilable.irreconcilable differences: · When irreconcilable differences exist between two people, it is better that they should separate.irreconcilable with: · Both these ways of looking at the world are valid but utterly irreconcilable with each other.
spoken also rubbish British spoken use this when you strongly disagree with something someone has said: · "You always think you're right!" "Nonsense!"
to go down to go down some stairs, a ladder, a slope etc: · You go down a steep slope, then turn left at the bottom of the hill.· Right, here's the ladder. Who's going down first?go down to: · I'll go down (=downstairs) to the kitchen and get you a glass of water.
if a plane, bomb etc comes down somewhere, it comes down to the ground there, especially by accident: · Airline officials believe that the plane came down somewhere in the Andes mountains.· One of the missiles came down in a heavily populated suburb of Beirut.
to fall straight downwards through the air: · When I let go of her hand, it dropped like a stone.drop onto/from/off etc: · The bottle rolled across the table, dropped onto the floor, and smashed.· One of your buttons has dropped off.
to come down through the air from a higher place: · Just as we were about to leave the house, rain began to fall.fall from/down/on etc: · Leaves were falling from the trees.· Bombs fell on the streets, destroying neighbouring homes, but leaving the school intact.
written to go down a slope, a mountain etc slowly and carefully: · Slowly the two climbers descended the cliff face.descend into/from etc: · We descended into the cave by a rope ladder.
if a plane or a bird dives , it moves quickly down through the air: · The engine did not re-start, and the plane dived to the ground.· The hawk stopped in mid-flight before diving down on its prey.
if a plane or a bird lands , it comes down to the ground in a controlled way: · He loves watching planes take off and land at the airport.land in/on/at: · We will be landing at Singapore airport at 3 am local time.· A flock of Canada geese landed on the river in front of us.
if a plane touches down , it arrives safely on the ground at an airport but has not yet stopped moving: · The King's private plane touched down at Heathrow airport at exactly 12.15 this afternoon.· We will be touching down in about an hour's time.
to move down to a lower position in a list to move down to a lower position in a list of people or things that are competing with each other: · The pound fell against the Euro again today.fall (from something) to something: · Within the space of a few minutes, the British song fell from top to bottom position.fall (by) 3 places/6 points etc: · Aston Villa fell 3 places in the league after their defeat by Barnsley.
to gradually move to a lower position in a list, competition etc: slip (from something) to something: · Mansell has now slipped to third position.· The American slipped from second place to fourth.slip down: · The team has been slipping down the league table and really needs some new players if it is to improve.
when a plan or attempt fails if a plan or attempt fails , it does not achieve what you want it to achieve: · They said the latest space mission was bound to fail.· Try changing the spark plugs, but if that fails take the car to a mechanic.fail to do something: · The investigation failed to establish the cause of the accident.something never fails: · The only way I can make her help me is to pretend I don't want her help. It never fails.
when a plan or attempt fails : failure of: · The failure of the peace talks has led to increased tension on the streets.end/result in failure: · Their first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended in failure.
to fail: · Hoover's attempts to boost the economy did not succeed.· I argued that neither strategy could succeed.not succeed in doing something: · The campaign might not succeed in eliminating the disease, but it would make people think about health and hygiene.
an unsuccessful attempt to do something does not have the result that you wanted: · The army made an unsuccessful attempt to end the rebellion.· I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful.
: vain attempt/effort/search a serious attempt, effort etc that is completely unsuccessful: · I remembered all my vain attempts to change his mind.· He stretched up his arms in a vain effort to reach the top of the embankment.
: fruitless attempt/search/effort etc one that fails completely to bring the result that you want: · I spent the next three hours in a fruitless search of her room.· After weeks of fruitless argument they finally agreed to go their separate ways.· Their attempt to settle the dispute by peaceful negotiations proved fruitless.
a meeting, discussion etc that is unproductive produces very few good results: · The meeting was long and noisy, but unproductive.· It was one of those unproductive confrontations between students and senior members of the university.
to be unsuccessful - use this especially about something that fails even though it was very carefully planned: · The government's expensive election campaign had been a failure.be a complete/total failure: · There was a 5-year plan to modernize the economy, but it was a complete failure.
if a planned attempt to do something goes wrong , it fails after it has started well: · The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas.go badly wrong British (=fail completely): · The rescue attempt went badly wrong when the building collapsed.
if a method or attempt does not work , it fails because it is not suitable or not right for the situation you are in: · I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn't work.not work with: · Teaching methods that work with adults do not always work with children.
if something you do to try to help or deal with a problem does no good , it does not have any useful effect: · Calm down Robyn. Getting hysterical will do no good.· You can try and persuade her to change her mind, but I don't think it'll do any good.do no good whatsoever (=have no useful effect at all): · Judges expect a certain level of competence, so staging a little-girl-lost act in court will do no good whatsoever.
if a plan, arrangement, or deal falls through , something stops it from happening, with the result that people are disappointed: · The deal fell through because they couldn't get enough money from the bank.· It was unbelievable -- it took two years to set the whole thing up and it fell through at the last minute!
if a business or political plan is dead in the water, it has failed completely, almost before it has even started - used especially in newspapers: · Their election campaign now appears to be dead in the water.
to stop being friendly with someone especially British to stop being friends because you have an argument: · It was the first time Bill and I had fallen out.fall out with: · She fell out with some of her school friends.fall out over: · I didn't think it was worth falling out over, but Emily obviously did.
to become someone's friend to start to be someone's friend, especially when you have to make an effort to do this: · Her family moved a lot, and it wasn't always easy to make friends.make friends with: · The children soon made friends with the kids next door.
if two people become friends , they begin to be friends: · They met at an art class and became friends.· I'd known him for years, but we really didn't become friends until high school.
informal if two people hit it off , they immediately become friends when they meet for the first time: · I knew you and Mark would hit it off.· The two men ended up in the same business law class and hit it off immediately.
informal if two people click , they like each other immediately when they first meet, because they have the same ideas or opinions, or laugh at the same things: · We just clicked, and we've been friends ever since.click with: · I never really clicked with my boss, and it made work a little more difficult.
to make friends with someone very quickly, especially if you do it intentionally: · The two women struck up a friendship when they met on holiday.· We met for the first time at a business conference, and we immediately struck up a friendship which has lasted for years.
to be friendly to someone who needs help, for example someone with financial or emotional problems: · His parents befriended some American soldiers who served in Wales during World War II.· It's fairly unusual for high school seniors to befriend freshmen.
also get in with spoken to begin to be friends with a group of people, especially people that other people do not approve of: · He's fallen in with a group of boys I don't like very much.· She used her husband's money and family to get in with a group of Hollywood's social elite.
to not pay attention to what someone says or does to deliberately pay no attention to what someone does or says, and pretend it is not important or does not affect you: · She ignored my question and continued her story.· Someone made a rude noise, which the teacher decided to ignore.· My father's always telling me what to do, but I usually just ignore him.ignore somebody's advice/warning: · It was very stupid of you to ignore your mother's advice.· Ignoring my warnings, he dived straight into the shallow water.
to ignore someone or something, especially by not watching or listening to them: · "What's this injection for?'' he asked the nurse. She paid no attention, rolling up his sleeve in silence.· People living near the crash scene paid no attention when they heard the aircraft's engine cut out in mid-air. pay no attention/not pay any attention to: · More than half the people questioned said they did not pay any attention to political broadcasts.
not to let someone affect what you do or the way you feel: · Stan has fired me before. I usually take no notice and turn up for work again the next day.take no notice/not take any notice of: · Take no notice of him. He's just being silly.· He never took any notice of the baby, even when it screamed.
to ignore someone's advice when they talk to you: · You never listen to me. You just do whatever you want.· It's because you didn't listen to Roger that you are in this trouble now.not listen to reason (=not listen to sensible advice): · We all warned Susan not to marry that man, but she wouldn't listen to reason.
if your request or suggestion falls on deaf ears , it is ignored by the people who have the power to deal with it: · The workers' demand for a wage increase has fallen on deaf ears.· As rioting continued, Mayor Warren appealed for calm, but his words fell on deaf ears.
informal to not be willing to listen to people's problems, complaints, bad news etc because you do not want to be worried by them: · You'd think the government would be concerned about people sleeping rough, but they just don't want to know.not want to know about: · If you're going to start an argument with Alex, I don't want to know about it.
especially American to deliberately not listen to what someone is saying, especially because it is unpleasant or you have heard it before: tune out something: · He had learned to tune out the kids' constant questions.tune something out: · There was a warning voice in the back of her mind, but she tuned it out.
to become ill British /get/become sick American · It's horrible when you get ill on holiday.· If you take vitamin C every day, it helps to stop you getting sick.· My father first became ill when I was 12, and died a few months later.· People were scared of becoming sick because they couldn't pay the doctor's bills.
also fall sick American to become ill, especially with a long or serious illness: · If you live alone, you often wonder who would look after you if you fell ill.· New Year's Eve revellers fell sick after drinking an orange liquid at a downtown 'rave' party.fall ill with: · It was the first time the president had been back to his office since falling ill with pneumonia in January.
especially British, written to suddenly or unexpectedly become ill: · I heard that her sister had been taken ill and rushed to hospital.be taken ill with: · The band cut short their tour after singer Robert Smith was taken ill with severe stomach pains.
to laugh a lot or for a long time to be unable to stop yourself from laughing: · Jonathan kept making funny faces at me and I just couldn't stop laughing.· It's so embarrassing when everyone else is being serious and you can't stop laughing.
to laugh so much that you cannot control yourself and could not stop laughing if you wanted to: · They both leant against the wall, laughing helplessly.· She was laughing hysterically at the thought of Mr Taylor stepping out of his caravan with no clothes on.
also have/get a fit of the giggles British informal to be unable to stop yourself laughing, especially in a situation when you should not laugh: · It's very difficult to be angry with somebody when you've got the giggles.· I got a dreadful fit of the giggles - I couldn't help myself!
informal to laugh a lot and very loudly because of what someone says or does: · When I told him what had happened, he laughed his head off.· I can't believe we were so stupid. Our competitors must be laughing their heads off.
to laugh a lot continuously and uncontrollably because someone says or does something extremely funny or stupid: · Everybody who heard this had hysterics.
British to laugh a lot in a very happy and cheerful way, especially because something has happened that you did not expect: · When we heard the news, we just fell about!fall about laughing: · When they saw what their father had done, they both fell about laughing.
informal if you say I nearly or almost died , you mean that something made you laugh so much that you almost couldn't stop laughing: · Did you see the look on his face? I nearly died.nearly/almost die laughing: · He said this very solemnly, and they nearly died laughing.
written a lot of laughter: · Jack put the phone down, and the children collapsed in gales of laughter.· There was a brief stunned silence, and then the entire family went into fits of laughter.
when prices, numbers etc become less to become less: · Attendance at the school's basketball games has gone down significantly in the last few years.· I'm hoping the price will come down if I wait a while.
to become less, especially by a large amount: · Sales have fallen dramatically in Houston and Toronto.fall/drop to: · At night, the temperature drops to -20°C.fall/drop from something to something: · Profits fell from £98.5 million to £76 million.
to become less - used especially in writing about business or technical subjects: · Experts say that the time parents spend with their children is decreasing.decrease to: · The speed of rotation gradually decreases to zero.
a gradual decrease in the number or amount of something good or important so that the situation becomes worse: · Firms with large debts may not have the financial strength to survive a prolonged sales decline or a recession.decline in: · We can expect a further decline in job vacancies.
when a price, level etc is reduced - use this when something is reduced deliberately: · New production methods led to a cost reduction of about 50 percent.reduction in: · Cleaner fuel has contributed to a reduction in air pollution.· a reduction in working hours
a reduction in the amount or size of something made by a government or large organization - use this especially when talking about politics or business: cut in: · Cuts in the education budget have led to fewer teachers and larger classes.pay/job/tax cuts (=cuts in wages, number of jobs, or taxes): · The whole team agreed to take pay cuts, rather than see their colleagues lose their jobs.· Some senators have called for huge tax cuts to stimulate the economy.
to drop very rapidly and by a large amount: · As soon as the sun went down, the temperature plummeted.· The drought has caused the price of hay to soar, and the price of cattle has plummeted.plummet/plunge 20 degrees/thirty points etc: · The stock market plunged 30 points when the news was announced.
if a number or the amount of activity happening tapers off , it gradually decreases: · Towards sunset, the rain began to taper off.
if supplies or numbers of something dwindle , they gradually decrease: · The country's foreign currency reserves have dwindled over the past few years.dwindle to: · The original platoon of 30 men had dwindled to 12.
if a price or value slides it gradually decreases in a way that causes problems - used especially in news reports: · Prices will continue to slide unless production is reduced.· The dollar fell in late trading in New York yesterday and slid further this morning.
also nosedive informal if the price or value of something takes a nosedive , it becomes lower very quickly and causes problems. If an economy takes a nosedive it become worse very quickly: · Since January, sales of cars and trucks, including minivans, have nosedived.· Shares on the stock exchange took another nosedive Friday.
to start to love someone to begin to be in love with someone: · I suddenly realized that I'd fallen in love.fall in love with: · I think I fell in love with Ralph the first time I met him.
to suddenly start to love someone a lot: · I met Sam at college, and immediately fell head-over-heels in love with him.· I was head-over-heels in love with someone who barely even noticed me.
informal to start to love someone: · She always seems to fall for the wrong type of man.· I fell for Dan almost immediately.
a situation in which you start to love someone the first time you see them: · When I met Tracy it was love at first sight.· I don't believe in love at first sight.
if someone sweeps you off your feet, you start to love them very quickly, especially when you do not expect it to happen: · Then Peter came into my life and swept me off my feet.· She's just waiting to be swept off her feet by a handsome stranger.
a lucky person if you are lucky , good things happen to you and things go well for you, because you have good luck and not because of hard work, careful planning etc: · Isn't she lucky - she can eat what she wants and she never gets fat.· There are monkeys and zebra, and if you're lucky you might see a lion.lucky to do something: · I'm lucky to live in a nice house and be married to such a nice man.lucky (that): · Arthur left the front door unlocked - we're lucky that nothing was stolen.lucky with: · Apart from the sprained ankle, I've been very lucky with injuries (=I haven't had many).think/count yourself lucky (=used to say that someone should consider themselves lucky): · He should count himself lucky not to have been blamed for the whole fiasco.
lucky, especially when you are luckier than other people. Fortunate is more formal than lucky: · David managed to escape, but the others were not so fortunate.fortunate to do something: · I am fortunate to work in a school where all the children are extremely motivated.
British informal use this about someone who is lucky to be able to do something, when you are jealous because you would like to do it: · That jammy devil Steve has got out of the washing up again.
to be lucky, especially because you get the thing that you wanted although you did not really expect to get it: · You're in luck, there are still a few tickets left.· If you like Californian wine you could be in luck - we are giving away 100 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon.
you say some people have all the luck when you are talking about someone who is always very lucky, especially when you are jealous of their good luck: · It costs a fortune to buy a Porsche - some people have all the luck.
to be lucky all the time, so that although you are often in dangerous situations, it seems that nothing can harm you: · By his own admission he had led a charmed life. He had survived a train crash when he was seventeen.
British you say it's all right for some when you think someone else is lucky because they are enjoying themselves, having an easy life etc and you are jealous of them: · You're going to Hawaii? It's all right for some!· It's all right for some. I've got to stay in and work this evening.
to be lucky because you have the chance to do something you wanted to do or something that most other people do not have the chance to do: · I went along to the audition with everyone else, and was lucky enough to get the part.· In 1957 I had the good fortune to be invited on a lecture tour of Switzerland.
to be successful or get into a good situation as a result of good luck, especially after you have been experiencing difficulty: · Nathan had a series of jobs where he wasn't happy, but this time he's really fallen on his feet.· Don't worry about Nina -- she always falls on her feet.
to be lucky because you are in a particular place when something good is offered or becomes available: · "You did well to get that contract.'' "Not really, I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.''· Being a successful news photographer is all about being in the right place at the right time.
American informal an expression meaning to be very lucky on a particular occasion: · I didn't have any idea what I was doing, but I lucked out and wound up with a good job.
to make a mistake · My spoken Spanish was okay, but I kept making mistakes in my written work.· Don't worry - everyone makes mistakes.
especially spoken to make a mistake in something that you do, say, or write, especially when this has bad or annoying results: · I've been here a year now, and my boss still gets my name wrong!· You've got your facts wrong, mate - he doesn't work here any more.get it wrong (=deal with something in the wrong way): · Once again, the government has got it wrong.
to make a mistake at a particular stage in a process, for example, with the result that the whole thing is spoiled: · Check your work again and see if you can spot where you went wrong.· If you follow the easy step-by-step instructions, you really can't go wrong.
to make a careless mistake, especially so that you lose some advantage, or spoil a chance that you had: · We'll just have to hope that the other teams slip up.slip up on: · He slipped up on just one detail.
to make a stupid mistake, usually with very serious results: · The government later admitted it had blundered in its handling of the affair.· He realized he had blundered by picking such an experienced player for the team.
American informal to make a silly mistake: · You really goofed up this time!· Some drivers admit they goofed. Others blame anyone except themselves.
to make a mistake about a person, situation, or amount by wrongly thinking that they are one thing when in fact they are another: · I'm sorry -- it seems I've misjudged you.· It's easy to misjudge the speed of a car heading toward you.· In fact, the US generals had seriously misjudged the determination and endurance of the North Vietnamese.
to do something that seems good at the time but is not sensible: · Don't fall into the trap of trying to be too clever.· It is very easy for the mother to fall into the trap of offering the child only food that she knows the child likes.
to become quieter · That buzzing noise seems to be getting quieter now.grow quieter (=get quieter gradually) · As we walked into the woods the noise of the traffic grew quieter.
especially British to stop speaking or making any noise at all, for example because you are shocked or embarrassed: · Lawrence went very quiet after Jo told him how she felt.
if shouting, music, laughter etc dies down , it gradually becomes quieter after being very loud: · Forrester waited for the laughter to die down, then carried on with his speech.· The music was dying down. The show was over.die down to: · Jessie's wails died down to a whimper and then stopped altogether.
if a sound fades away , it gradually becomes quieter until you cannot hear it any more: · The sound of a police siren was slowly fading away into the distance.· She listened to Zach's footsteps fade away, as he walked down the staircase.
to suddenly stop talking and become quiet - used in literature and stories: · Dixon fell silent again, deep in thought.· "I had hoped ....," he began, and then fell silent again.· The bar-room door crashed open and the voices at the tables fell silent.
to speak more quietly because you do not want other people to hear what you are saying: · Kath lowered her voice as she spoke.
to start sleeping · Are you two going to stop talking and go to sleep?· I looked over at Dave, but he had gone to sleep.· He lay on the sofa and pretended to go to sleep.go back to sleep (=go to sleep again after waking up) · If I wake up in the night, it takes me ages to go back to sleep.
to go to sleep - use this especially when you do not intend to, when you go to sleep quickly, or when going to sleep has been difficult: · Dad always falls asleep in front of the TV after Sunday lunch.· Has Monica fallen asleep yet?· I must have fallen asleep with the light on last night.fall asleep at the wheel (=while you are driving): · One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
to go to sleep when you do not intend to and sleep lightly for a short time: · Sorry, I must have dozed off for a few minutes.· I was just beginning to doze off when the telephone rang.
to go to sleep easily and peacefully: · At around 12.30, she did eventually drop off for an hour or so.· She kept dropping off for a few minutes, before waking with a start.drop off to sleep: · Janir had dropped off to sleep on the living room couch.
to go to sleep when you are sitting down, especially when you are trying hard to stay awake: · Sarah had almost nodded off when Victor suddenly spoke.· As the speaker droned on, only the occasional nudge from my husband kept me from nodding off.
to go to sleep gradually: · He must have drifted off again, for when he awoke, the train had come to a halt.· She was just starting to drift off, when she heard a scream downstairs.drift off to sleep: · That night as he drifted off to sleep, Quincy tried to imagine what the day would have been like if Marta had been there.
British if someone, especially a baby, is off , they have started sleeping: · Is the baby off yet?· I always wait until he's off before I turn the light out.
informal to go to sleep very quickly and deeply because you are very tired: · I went back to bed, and was out like a light.· After a day on the ranch, you'll be out like a light, I can tell you.
informal to fall asleep very quickly, especially in a place where you do not normally sleep: · "Did you get any sleep last night?" "Yeah, I crashed out as soon as my head hit the pillow."· He'd flaked out on my bed.
to move more slowly than the other people to move more slowly than the other people you are with, so that you become separated from them: · A half an hour into the hike, two of the boys had already fallen behind.· The ship was so slow it dropped far behind the rest of the convoy.
to walk or move more slowly than other people in the group you are with: · He deliberately lagged behind so he could have a cigarette.· We started walking faster, not wanting to lag behind the rest of the group.
to start a conversation British /get to talking American · The three of us sat down and after a while we got chatting.get talking/chatting to · I hadn't been there long before someone got talking to me and invited me to a party.get talking/chatting about · Somehow we got to talking about television shows from the '70s.
also get into conversation British to start having a conversation with a stranger, often without intending or expecting to: · After a while the two travellers fell into conversation.fall into conversation/strike up a conversation with: · She got into conversation with a woman at the baker's shop.· My Dad's always striking up conversations with other people in the park.
to stop talking · She was happy to talk about her school and friends, but when I asked her about her parents, she went quiet.· Gerard suddenly realized that the people at the next table had gone quiet and were staring at them.
to suddenly stop talking without finishing what you were saying: · "It's not that I wanted to..." he broke off and sighed.· Kathleen was just telling me about her new car when she suddenly broke off and ran to the window.break off something: · I was sorry to break off his conversation with Margaret, but I had to leave.
written to suddenly stop talking, especially because something has happened to make you feel afraid, sad etc: · "Explain yourself," Mr O'Conner demanded. Paul fell silent, staring hard at the floor.· Everyone in the room fell silent, and Miss Rogers dozed peacefully her chair.
to be tricked or deceived by someone · He knew he'd been tricked, but it was too late to do anything.be tricked/deceived by · Don't feel bad - you weren't the only one who was deceived by his lies.
to be deceived by someone's words or behaviour, so that you believe something about them that is not true: · He seemed so confident, that I was completely taken in.be taken in by: · We were all taken in by the scheme and invested far more money than we should have.
to stupidly believe something that is untrue and is intended to deceive you: · Doug is too clever to fall for a story like that!· She completely fell for his nonsense about being rich and famous.
to be deceived by someone's behaviour, words, or appearance, especially when the result is not serious: · Don't let yourself be fooled - she's not as nice as she seems.be fooled by: · A lot of people were fooled by what he said, but I was sure he was lying.
to be tricked into doing something that results in you being punished or embarrassed: · I'm innocent! I was set up!be set up by: · The young man's claim that he had been set up by the police was eventually supported by several witnesses.
to be deceived by someone, especially so that you become involved in their dishonest activity without realizing it: · When the police arrived to arrest her, she realized she had been duped.be duped by: · Richie couldn't believe he had been set up and duped by his friends.
to begin to understand something to slowly begin to understand a situation or someone's feelings, because you get more information or because you experience something for yourself: · I think it will be a long time before we even begin to understand how damaging the effect has been.· Patients are given written information and videos so that they can begin to understand more about their condition.begin to understand that: · I was beginning to understand that being alone could be terribly depressing.begin to understand why/how/what etc: · As we walked up the narrow staircases, we began to understand why the Dutch haul their furniture up the outside of the buildings and through the windows.
informal to begin to understand something that is not easy to understand: · Thomas isn't catching on as quickly as some of the other children.catch on to: · It took Jennifer a long time to catch on to the fact that Mary was taking advantage of her.catch on fast/quickly: · She catches on fast and will soon be promoted.
spoken to finally understand something, especially after it has been explained to you several times: · Okay, I get it. You only get paid if you sell at least ten copies.· "So the plant takes in carbon dioxide and gives out oxygen." "That's it. You've got it."
to think about something until you understand it, especially something complicated: · Horgan thought he had it all figured out, but he hadn't.figure/work something out: · In case you haven't figured it out yet, we've been tricked.figure/work out how/why/what etc: · Detectives are still trying to work out what happened.
British informal to begin to understand a situation by what you see and hear around you, and not by being told directly: · Oh, I get it, I've twigged at last. How much do you want?twig that: · At last I twigged that I was pregnanttwig why/where/what etc: · It took him about two minutes to twig what I was going on about!
informal to begin to understand a situation by what you see and hear around you, and not by being told directly: cotton on to: · It took him a while to cotton on to what was happening.· Large stores have at last cottoned on to the fact that mothers with pushchairs can't cope with stairs.
if something clicks , especially something you are learning, you suddenly begin to understand it: · Just keep working at it, and suddenly it will all click.
if several facts fall into place , you begin to understand how they are connected and why each one is important, so that you understand a whole situation or subject: · Once the police received this new evidence, things began falling into place.
no longer being used especially British a disused factory, mine, railway etc is old and not used any more: · The drugs were found in a disused warehouse.· They have been given a grant to convert the disused church into luxury flats.
something that is unused has not yet been used or has not been used for a long time: · His old car sat in the garage, unused.· Batteries which are unused for long periods may have to be recharged.· Unused muscles can feel very sore when you start exercising.
if machines or factories are idle , they are not being used: · stand/sit/lie idle: · Most of the factory stood idle during the strike.· The new machines may sit idle for months until they have been paid for.· Why is millions of pounds worth of state-of-the-art equipment lying idle?
if something such as a machine or a plan gathers dust , it is not being used, especially when it could be useful: · Some of the new equipment is just gathering dust because the staff have not been trained to use it.· The plans lie gathering dust in some government office.
if something falls into disuse , people gradually stop using it because they no longer need or want it: · The canal system fell into disuse around the end of the nineteenth century.· When the old woman died, the house fell into disuse.
to become less valuable · Gold and silver have gone down in value.· Most European currencies fell in value yesterday.
to become gradually less valuable over a period of time: · A new car depreciates more quickly than a second-hand one.· US investors anticipate that the Deutschmark will, in the long term, depreciate relative to the dollar.
WORD SETSabsolutism, nounadministration, nounagency, nounagent, nounagent provocateur, nounalderman, nounally, nounassembly, nounautarchy, nounautocracy, nounautocrat, nounautonomous, adjectiveautonomy, nounban, nounbaron, nounbig government, nounbilateral, adjectivebody politic, nounbudget, nounbureau, nounbureaucracy, nouncabinet, nouncaliphate, nouncanton, nouncanvass, verbcapital, nouncapitalist, nounCapitol Hill, nounCBE, nouncede, verbcentral, adjectivecentral government, nouncentralism, nouncentralize, verbchancellery, nounchancery, nouncharter, nouncharter, verbchief, nounCIA, the, city hall, nouncity-state, nounclient state, nounCo., coalition, nouncold war, nouncolonial, adjectivecolonial, nouncolonialism, nouncolonize, verbcolony, nouncommissioner, nouncommune, nounconsort, nounconstitution, nounconstitutional, adjectiveconstitutionality, nounconvention, nouncoronation, nouncount, nouncounterintelligence, nouncountess, nouncounty, nouncounty council, noundecolonize, verbdemocracy, noundemocratic, adjectivedependency, noundespotism, noundétente, noundethrone, verbdevolution, noundictatorial, adjectivedictatorship, noundiplomacy, noundiplomatic immunity, noundirective, noundisinformation, noundispatch, noundispensation, noundissent, verbdistrict council, noundocumentation, nounDOD, dominion, nounDowning Street, noundynasty, nounearl, nounearldom, nounempire, nounEuro, adjectiveEurope, nounexecutive, nounexecutive privilege, nounfall, verbfall, nounfederalism, nounfeudal, adjectivefeudalism, nounfeudalistic, adjectivegazette, nounhead of state, nounhigh commission, nounimperial, adjectiveindependence, nounindependent, adjectiveinfrastructure, nouninstigate, verbinsurgent, nouninsurrection, nounintelligence, nouninternal, adjectivejunket, nounjunta, nounkingdom, nounkingship, nounkitchen cabinet, nounland office, nounland registry, nounlegation, nounlegislature, nounlicensed, adjectivelocal authority, nounlocal government, nounmaharajah, nounmaharani, nounmandate, nounmandated, adjectivemartial law, nounMBE, nounmeasure, nounmidterm, nounministry, nounminority government, nounmisrule, nounmonarchy, nounmonolith, nounmonolithic, adjectivemoratorium, nounmouthpiece, nounmove, verbmover, nounmunicipal, adjectivemunicipality, nounNASA, nounnational, adjectivenational debt, nounNational Health Service, the, nationalize, verbnational monument, nounnation state, nounNATO, nounneocolonialism, nounneutral, adjectiveneutral, nounneutralize, verbnon-aligned, adjectivenon-intervention, nounnon-proliferation, noun-ocracy, suffix-ocrat, suffixofficiate, verboligarchy, nounoperational, adjectiveoperative, nounoverthrow, verboverthrow, nounoverturn, verbpacify, verbpact, nounpalatinate, nounpardon, nounparish, nounpartition, nounpass, verbpeer, nounpeer, verbpeerage, nounpeeress, nounpermit, nounplenary, adjectiveplutocracy, nounpolice state, nounpolitburo, nounpolitical science, nounpolity, nounpork, nounpork barrel, nounportfolio, nounpossession, nounprecinct, nounprefecture, nounpremiership, nounpresidium, nounprotectorate, nounpublic, adjectivepublic service, nounquota, nounR, ratify, verbrealm, nounrecall, nounrecognition, nounrecognize, verbregency, nounregent, nounregime, nounregister, nounregulation, nounrelease, nounrepeal, verbrepresentative, nounrepressive, adjectiverepublic, nounrepublican, adjectiverescind, verbreunify, verbrevoke, verbrising, nounroyalist, nounruling, adjectivesanction, nounseat, nounsecret agent, nounsecurity service, nounself-governing, adjectiveself-rule, nounsheikh, nounshire, nounsocial democracy, nounsocialist, adjectivesocial service, nounsovereign, adjectivesovereignty, nounspin doctor, nounstaff, nounstate, nounstatehood, nounStatehouse, nounstate line, nounstate of emergency, nounstatewide, adjectivesubject, adjectivesubject, verbsultanate, nounsummit, nounsuperpower, nounsuppress, verbsupranational, adjectivesurgery, nounsuzerainty, nountechnocracy, nounterritory, nounthrone, nountopple, verbtotalitarian, adjectivetown planning, nountownship, nountransit visa, nountreaty, nountribalism, nountripartite, adjectivetrusteeship, nountsarism, nountyrant, nountzarism, noununconstitutional, adjectiveunification, noununify, verbunilateral, adjectiveunion, nounUnion Jack, nounvassal, nounVIP, nounviscount, nounviscountess, nounwelfare state, nounWhitehall, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
She flushed and her eyes fell (=she looked down). He slipped and fell on the ice. Peter was playing by the river when he fell in (=fell into the water). I’ll stay with her until she falls asleep. I think that I’ve fallen in love with Angela. Meat production falls under the control of the Agriculture Department. 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. He is worried that his teenage kids will fall foul of the law. We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. It was so funny everyone just fell about laughing. The health service is falling apart at the seams. The project has fallen behind schedule. The local authority is falling down on the job of keeping the streets clean. It fell to me to give her the bad news.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES areas falling within the ambit of our research The nation is in danger of falling into anarchy. One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel (=falling asleep while driving). Rose fell, landing with a bump. He lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The delay threw the entire timetable into disarray. Coal fell into disfavour because burning it caused pollution. buildings allowed to fall into disrepair This theory fell into disrepute in the fifties. The building eventually fell into disuse. Output has increased dramatically. The finger of suspicion immediately fell on Broderick. He had clearly fallen on hard times (=did not have much money). I fell head-first down the stairs. I fell headlong into a pool of icy water. A sudden hush fell over the crowd. One of the crew fell overboard and drowned. a drop in oil and gas production Shares in the company dropped 26p yesterday, as profits fell short of City expectations. The economy fell short of the Treasury’s target of 2% growth. Facilities in these schools fall far short of the standards required. One or two songs on the album are interesting, but most fall short of the mark (=are not good enough). The crowd fell silent (=became silent) when the president appeared. At last the guns fell silent. I didn’t want to fall into the same snare again. She went into a deep hypnotic trance. Mr Smith has walked straight into a trap laid by the Tories. He tripped and fell. Turnover rose 9%. His warning fell on unresponsive ears (=was not listened to). The dollar fell by 24 percent against the yen (=decreased in value in relation to the yen) between 1970 and 1973.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
She flushed and her eyes fell (=she looked down). He slipped and fell on the ice. Peter was playing by the river when he fell in (=fell into the water). (=move down to the ground so that your body is resting on your knees) She fell to her knees beside his body.
She fell to her knees beside his body. (=by a large amount) London share prices fell sharply yesterday.
London share prices fell sharply yesterday. I’ll stay with her until she falls asleep. I think that I’ve fallen in love with Angela. Meat production falls under the control of the Agriculture Department. 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. He is worried that his teenage kids will fall foul of the law. We must not let these documents fall into the wrong hands. It was so funny everyone just fell about laughing. The health service is falling apart at the seams. The project has fallen behind schedule. The local authority is falling down on the job of keeping the streets clean. It fell to me to give her the bad news. (=no longer be used)
areas falling within the ambit of our research The nation is in danger of falling into anarchy. (=become late with payments)
One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel (=falling asleep while driving). (=separate into many different parts because of being old or damaged)· The book was so old that I was afraid it would fall to bits.
· A bomb fell on the cathedral during the war.
Rose fell, landing with a bump.· The tax burden falls most heavily upon the poorest people.
· The data we collected fell into two categories.
(=go into one)· Brett slipped into a coma from which he never awakened.
· Coal consumption has fallen dramatically.
· Airline costs have fallen considerably.
(=hang down)· The child's golden curls fell around her shoulders.
(=it goes up or down in relation to other currencies)· The currency fell from 144 to the dollar twelve months ago to 812.
(also darkness descends literary)· As darkness fell, rescue workers had to give up the search.
(=does not happen as arranged)· The cost was simply too high, so the deal fell through.
(=become less important, successful etc)· At the beginning of the century the cloth trade was going into decline.
He lay down and fell into a deep sleep. (=decreasing)· the falling demand for coal
(=becomes lower)· Demand for the products has fallen in the last six months.
The delay threw the entire timetable into disarray. Coal fell into disfavour because burning it caused pollution. buildings allowed to fall into disrepair This theory fell into disrepute in the fifties. The building eventually fell into disuse.· Between these years there was a dramatic fall in youth employment.
Output has increased dramatically. (=become lower)· The company’s earnings fell by 21% in the fourth quarter.
(=very easy)
(=loses power suddenly)· In A.D.476, the western part of the Empire collapsed.
(=the sudden end of an empire)· After the battle of Waterloo, the collapse of Napoleon's empire was inevitable.
(=be worse that someone hoped or expected)· Our profits last year fell below expectations.
· Government expenditure on scientific research has fallen in the last few years.
· Exports of gas and oil continued to fall while imports of raw materials have risen.
· There has been a decline in exports and an increase in oil prices.
(=they look sad or disappointed)· Her face fell when she saw who it was.
The finger of suspicion immediately fell on Broderick.· He let his cigarette fall to the floor.
(=someone looks at someone or something)· Fisher’s gaze fell on Mr. Grant.
(=someone looks at something)· Geoff’s glance fell on the broken vase.
(=become 50% less)· Share prices fell by half.
He had clearly fallen on hard times (=did not have much money). I fell head-first down the stairs. I fell headlong into a pool of icy water. A sudden hush fell over the crowd. (=not be as good as you think something should be)· In appearance, she fell somewhat short of his ideals.
formal (=become ill)· Louise fell ill while she was on holiday.
· Imports of consumer goods fell sharply in December.
· Average income fell by one third during this period.
· Inflation fell by 0.5% last month.
(=be influenced by someone or something)· They had come under the influence of a religious sect.
(=people don’t find a joke funny)· His practical jokes usually fell flat.
(=move so that you are kneeling) Tim fell to his knees and started to pray.
Tim fell to his knees and started to pray.· One of the builders fell off a ladder and broke his leg.
British English (=laugh a lot)· He saw the look on my face and he just fell about laughing.
· All the leaves had fallen off the tree.
(=that have fallen off the trees)· The children were jumping in piles of fallen leaves.
· Pollution levels have fallen slightly.
· The light fell on her book.
(=start being in love)· I fell in love with her the minute I saw her.
(=be worth less than ever before) The euro has fallen to a new low against the dollar.
The euro has fallen to a new low against the dollar. (=be unable to pay enough money each month)· He fell behind with the mortgage when he lost his job.
(=in surprise)· ‘Me?’ she said, her mouth dropping open.
written (=it starts to become dark)· It grew colder as night fell.
· The number of new houses being built is falling steadily.
One of the crew fell overboard and drowned. (also fall behind with the payments British English) (=not make payments when you should)· I’d run up nearly £4,000 in debt, and was beginning to fall behind with the payments.
· Visitor numbers have fallen from a peak of 1.8 million per year to under 1 million.
· The population in many rural areas has continued to fall.
· In real terms, the price of clothes has fallen over the last ten years.
· Poor demand led to a sharp drop in prices.
a drop in oil and gas production· The group saw profits fall from £24m to £17.8m.
· The rain was still falling steadily.
· A falling mortality rate led to a gradual increase in the proportion of the aged in the population.
· His rating fell to only 28%.
(=is beaten)· Another record will fall on the last day of the season, if Arsenal win their final game.
(=loses power)· Authoritarian regimes tend to collapse in times of economic hardship.
(=fail to pay your rent on time)· You could be evicted if you fall behind with the rent.
· The exhibition tells the story of the rise and fall of the Etruscan civilisation.
(=get into a routine without making any difficulty)· The team slipped quickly into a routine.
(=become lower)· European sales have fallen by 12%.
· Some jobs may be cut following a big drop in sales.
(=be included in it)· Banks and building societies fall within the scope of the new legislation.
(=not be included in it)· His later exploits in Persia fall outside the scope of this book.
(=appears on something)· The footsteps came closer, and a shadow fell across the table.
(=their value decreases)· Shares fell sharply on the London Stock Market yesterday.
· Oil prices fell sharply.
Shares in the company dropped 26p yesterday, as profits fell short of City expectations. The economy fell short of the Treasury’s target of 2% growth. Facilities in these schools fall far short of the standards required. One or two songs on the album are interesting, but most fall short of the mark (=are not good enough). formal (=become ill, especially with something serious or that will last a long time)· He fell sick and died within a matter of weeks.
(=a silence begins)· A sudden silence fell over the room.
The crowd fell silent (=became silent) when the president appeared. At last the guns fell silent. (=start sleeping deeply, for a long time etc)· He lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
I didn’t want to fall into the same snare again.· Outside in the dark, snow was falling silently.
(=an occasion when it snows)· We had our first fall of snow in mid-November.
· School inspectors say that educational standards have fallen.
· Suspicion fell on Jenkins who had been seen near the scene of the crime.
(=achieve less than you wanted to)· Car production at the plant has fallen short of its target by 5%.
· At night there is a dramatic drop in temperature.
· Last winter, the temperature fell below freezing on only five days.
She went into a deep hypnotic trance. Mr Smith has walked straight into a trap laid by the Tories. He tripped and fell. Turnover rose 9%.· Rising unemployment led to more crime.
· We are hoping to see a fall in unemployment.
His warning fell on unresponsive ears (=was not listened to). British English (=become vacant) He was offered the position of headmaster when it fell vacant.
He was offered the position of headmaster when it fell vacant.· There is a risk that the shares may fall in value.
· The value of your investment may fall.
· There was a sudden drop in the value of oil.
The dollar fell by 24 percent against the yen (=decreased in value in relation to the yen) between 1970 and 1973.· Yet the jobless rate is falling sharply.· After that, volumes were expected to fall sharply.· Sickness absence overall fell sharply last year by almost 0.5 percent of working time from the 1991 figure of 4.0 percent.· The Potomac was clean again, a haven for windsurfers, and certain airborne pollutants had fallen sharply.· Sales of units fell sharply after the crash of October 1987.· Many technology stocks have fallen sharply in recent weeks because of concerns over the future of Internet advertising.· Enrolments at both primary and secondary levels fell sharply in the early 1980s before beginning to rise steadily from 1984 onwards.· Bombay: Prices fell sharply for the second day running.
NOUN· Five patients and one control fell into the borderline category.· Those management approaches which are presented in in-service education occasionally fall into the category of those which describe organized anarchy.· Less than one percent of homicides recorded nationwide last year fell into this category, McCrary said.· It can be argued that many projects fall into this category, perhaps usefully called development engineering.· As far as his or her departmental duties are concerned a minister's work will fall into roughly four categories.· Tien said members of those races in great numbers fall into the disadvantaged category.
· He read it carefully, the lucid language and poetry of argument clearing and settling his mind. Darkness fell.· Finally darkness fell, and no new soldiers appeared.· Yet there was a sealed-in-cosiness when darkness fell early and the lights came on.· It looked like darkness would fall long before evening.· Just as darkness fell a man and a woman came and announced that I was sitting in their seats.· As darkness fell in late afternoon, rescue workers began recovering and identifying bodies with flashlights.
· Many of these local mills remain in name alone, having fallen into disuse and demolition.· Because of the problems with false prophecy, the gift of prophecy itself eventually fell into disuse and sometimes disrepute.· The National Association of Gay Switchboards has fallen into disuse.· As a result there was water, water everywhere except in the Bath House, which fell into disuse and subsequently burned.· The railway tracks were lifted in the 1960s, and the bridge fell into disuse.· It was a commentary on heroism and how it has fallen into disuse.· It seems that the procedure, just outlined, for the creation of new criminal offences has fallen into disuse.· Many large-scale competitor data bases, especially those on mainframes, have fallen into disuse.
· This wide disposition yielded felicitous effects of colour and tone which always fell pleasingly on the ear.· The modulated, rhythmic braying of that mule fell upon his ears.· But his words fell on unresponsive ears.· Invitations by Paredes to the various governors to second his plan fell on deaf ears.· The house is falling down around our ears.· But my suggestions fell on deaf ears.· As he did so, a fine trickle of sawdust appeared to fall from his ear to the floor.
· The operating performance of these reactors has also consistently fallen below expectations.· Digital Equipment Corp. this week warned Wall Street its third-quarter earnings will fall below analysts' expectations.· If this and other resolutions fell well below popular expectations, their implementation since then has invited even greater derision.· The company said its earnings would fall short of previous expectations mainly because of lower earnings from its Gulf Printing unit.· The trainers suggest that, as guards, they fell short of expectations.· Silicon Graphics said its earnings for the fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31 would fall short of expectations.· Since Christmas, however, demand has fallen below expectations.· Yields on government treasury bills are falling amid expectations of a second rate cut within three months, he said.
· As the youth smoked a cigarette, shadows fell across his face.· How stupid to fall on your face.· Golden flowers danced before his eyes as he fell forward, his face banging the brick floor.· The tramp had fallen forward on to his face, his body twitching madly, blood spreading out around his head.· But once the ball tips, the game falls flat on its face faster than a top-ranked team after a first-round upset.· Because if you don't a fresh ambition or optimistic plan will fall flat on its face.· Her thick hair fell forward over her face.
· Her nightdress fell to the floor as she reached the door.· The umbrella fell to the floor with a sharp crack of the ferrule on the tile.· He says that he felt strange and fell on to the floor.· One by one, Hinn touched them and they fell to the floor.· Now the challenge is to mould a new identity for international car racing by Timothy Collings Cigarette ash fell to the floor.· When he ran his hand over it, a sprinkle of grit fell to the floor.· It blew her hair across her face, and some books fell on the floor.
· Swarf smiled in triumph, letting the body fall on to the ground.· Not finished, he slammed into reverse so quickly that she fell to the ground.· Joseph's words fell on stony ground.· He just let the pits fall on the ground below.· Failing payment of the £30 the Company's promise would fall to the ground.· A long shadow fell across the ground in front of me.· Whatever it was precipitated an avalanche of other objects which thundered down around him as Charles fell sprawling to the ground.· As he attempted to dismount, he seemed to lose strength, and half fell to the ground.
· When she tossed her head her hair fell around her shoulders and upper arms in a lovely auburn cascade.· The hair and skin had fallen from the head, and the flesh from the bones-all alive with disgusting maggots.· He developed cancer, and despite radium treatment - after which all his hair fell out - he was declared terminally ill.· Her black hair fell to her shoulders.· Her hair fell forward into the frying steak and potatoes; she brushed her hair back with a fat-coated hand.· Back at home again I came down to breakfast one morning scratching my head and my hair started to fall out.· His Straight brown hair fell half-combed across his forehead, and his clothes were clean but rumpled.
· In those days, the sweat would fall off my hands and I'd hear it hitting the floor.· He lurched sideways and fell to his hands and knees on the stone steps.· In these circumstances, the Anti-Corn law movement fell into the able hands of Richard Cobden.· Finally, this charming corner has fallen into the right hands.· The revolver nearly fell from my hands, and my whole body froze with fear.· The power to play or not fell into the hands of program director Crocker and his peers around the country.· Not unless they fell into Morton's hands.· I was endlessly letting things fall out of my hands.
· The Nikkei index has fallen by 60 percent from its peak, and is now testing the 17,000 level.· The Nasdaq Composite Index fell for a third day, dropping as much as 10. 53 to 988. 29.· The FTSE100 index fell to its lowest level of the year.· The Nikkei 300 index fell 0. 45, or 0. 15 percent, to 297. 38.· The stock market, whose index had fallen throughout 1990, lost a further 7.5 points in response to the package.· The Bloomberg New York Metro index fell 2. 04, or 1. 57 percent, to 127. 43.· The Nasdaq Composite Index fell for a third day, dropping 8. 60 to 990. 22.
· She fell on her knees before them and begged them to take her with them.· She stumbled and fell to her knees.· When Blue Beard returns, he falls to his knees and hugs his wife.· Francis Lee received a little kick and fell on his knees.· He fell to his knees and greedily sucked up the water like a thirsty horse.· Too fast for his shorter legs and he fell on his knees.· The woman in the blue raincoat fell to her knees, still clinging with one hand to the push-chair.
· Now, she had fallen in love.· It was just like falling in love.· The couple fell in love before they had even set eyes on each other during a six-month long distance courtship.· Eventually, with the help of magic and fate, Ashputtel and the prince fell in love and married.· Having fallen in love with each other, the couple are now setting up home together at lightning speed.· Kathy had fallen in love with an old blue Victorian across from Edgewood Park.· I am the same woman you fell in love with then, the very same.· In the one year, 1920-the year Amelia fell in love with flying-fifteen aerial mail pilots died.
· The Hong Kong stock market fell by 5 percent after Mr Li's attack.· How could Vinik unwind such large positions without the markets for those stocks falling in on themselves and on Magellan?· So if the market falls, he is protected by the option.· Gas utility companies fell after the government said it was considering allowing non-gas companies to enter the retail gas market.· One of those things was that the stock market might fall, oh, say, 20 percent this year.· Keynes's theory of labour market adjustment has fallen victim to widespread ignorance and neglect.· That makes a difference when it comes to refinancing the bonds, or locking in lower payments when bond market rates fall.
· It should fall out in one piece.· And then he fell into two pieces.· The metal bubbled for an eye-aching moment, and then the door fell in two pieces in the passage beyond.· After he left, I fell to pieces.· He hated playing agony aunt but he couldn't afford to have Hirschfeldt falling to pieces.· Supposing the union fell to pieces, these were the fracture lines along which it would naturally break.· The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.· The media seemed to be willing the marriage to fall to pieces.
· In October the index fell below 20,000 points, leading to government intervention to support the market.· The Nasdaq fell 32. 78 points, or 1. 9 percent, at 1, 666. 88.· It fell 7. 77 points, or 0. 49 percent, to 1, 592. 21.· In relation to the rest of the country, however, the share of the top six cities fell by 2.5 percentage points.· She was proved wrong, but when her prediction first became known, the Dow fell 44 points.· What do you call it when the Dow Jones falls 554 points in less than a day?· Its yield, a sensitive gauge of forecasts for growth and inflation, fell 4 basis points to 5. 97 percent.
· If Hydro trials prove successful and it is included on more Chafer sprayers, the price is likely to fall considerably.· If share prices fall over that time, a safety net guarantees you will get your money back.· Wireless's share price fell as much as 5 pence to 453.· Now the price has fallen and future purchases by discount houses will be at the new, lower rate.· Demand is so slow that the price index fell to 40. 8 % in December from 44. 5 %.· Their prices might fall, hurting commodity producers.· Worldwide, stock prices fell in dollar terms.
· Officials blamed the fall on a collapse in the stock market, lower industrial production and falling domestic investment.· Sugar production fell to a record low of 129,920 tonnes in 1990 and bauxite production was 15 percent below target.· With production falling, factories stop ordering new equipment.· Agricultural production fell by 10.8 percent, largely due to the effects of the country's worst drought in 50 years.· Summer grain production this year has fallen by nearly 10 %, according to the ministry of agriculture.· Many analysts expect production to fall again in 1996.
· Special engineering activities suffered with the depressed aerospace and defence markets, profits falling from £14 million to £12 million.· Each warned after the stock market closed on Friday that profits will fall below analysts' forecasts.· Operating profit fell to £10.5m from £11.1m in 1991.· Operating profit fell an undisclosed amount.· First half profit before tax fell by 12% to £44.5m at Laporte; eps fell by 6% to 18.8p.· In 1995 pretax profit fell 6. 51 percent to 21. 97 billion pesetas.· Taxable profits fell from £7.81m to £1.17m in the year to 30 June on group sales down about £20m to £91m.
· The camera watches, looking in and looking out. Rain falls through the shell of the echoing house.· A deluge of tropical rain fell on us an hour later.· The rain had started to fall and the mechanics were busy preparing the machine for what would be a wet race.· The 0. 01 inch of rain that fell in the Valley in December was the least for that month since 1981.· The sky was low and pregnant with rain which would fall as soon as the wind dropped.· The rain fell on empty streets.· A steady gray rain was falling.
· First the rate fell from 6.2 rubles to the dollar to 6.5.· Indeed, many investors believe that long-term interest rates could fall to 5. 5 % in the coming months.· Yet the jobless rate is falling sharply.· The unemployment rate fell to 4. 9 percent, a 23-year low, in April.· The rate may fall below that, depending on the general trend of interest rates.· Short-term rates fell to below 2 % from 4 %.· If the inflation rate subsequently falls below the level allowed for a surplus of funds may result.· New bond issues rose as interest rates fell during the last three months of 1995.
· It widened still further in the 1980s as sales of the Mirror fell.· Even Talbots same-store sales fell an unexpected 4. 7 percent.· By the mid-Seventies sales had fallen dramatically.· The company blamed weak sales and falling chip prices for its microprocessors.· Estimates suggest that since then, the number of house sales has fallen by about 40 percent.· Comparable-store sales fell 0. 9 % for this period, Roberds said.· Thanks to recession, total domestic sales of personal computers fell by 8% in the year to March.· Orders slowed, causing sales to fall off dramatically.
· Bank shares fell 0. 87 percent as a group.· Earnings per share fell to 15.6p from 24.1p but the 1991 dividend total of 14.85p per share is to be maintained.· Motorola shares fell 3 1 / 4 to 53.· Goldman Sachs's shares fell 5 % after it announced the sale of 40m shares held by former partners.· The shares have been falling since September, when they traded at nearly 60.· Earnings per share fell by 99.7% to 0.3 pence.· Inverness shares fell 1 / 8 to 8 1 / 8.
· Outside snow began to fall in large fat flakes.· Outside, a light snow had begun to fall, whitening the streets with downy flakes.· Heavy snow had fallen in Frome the day before that, the deepest since 1767, and conditions were dismal.· And for a very few minutes I listen to the whisper of tiny tinkling snow crystals falling now in ever denser sheets.· No more snow had fallen, the sky was still overcast but the air was crisp and a little warmer.· Around noon, the snow started falling again.· Snow to go: Weathermen predict no more snow will fall in the region over the coming days.· Some 65 inches of snow have fallen on the city so far this winter, he said.
· As the temperature falls the process slows, and below 10oC the development from egg to L3 usually can not take place.· In response, body temperature falls, metabolism slows, and we prepare to drop off.· When temperatures fall to freezing, they're ready to go.· In fact, areas where the outdoor temperature routinely falls to about 15 degrees are not good candidates for heat pumps.· As core temperature starts to fall, self-regulating mechanisms start to restore equilibrium.· The temperature had fallen below zero.· The moors got higher, the weather worsened, and temperatures fell.· Hypothermia weakens muscles and slows heart rate, which may stop if body temperature falls below 90 degrees.
· At least Morton would never fall into that trap ... But it was all moonshine.· I tried to empathize with their own differing emotional reactions and the fact that they were falling into their own traps again.· They shouldn't fall into the Spurs trap of mounting debts and asset-stripping sales of star players.· They are waiting to see if you fall into the trap.· During the 90s Washington fell into the trap of allowing events to dictate the relationship, with increasingly destabilising results.· Duffy refuses to fall into the trap of spoon-feeding the material to passive students, which only increases their passivity.· The tendency to keep falling into the subjectivity trap usually brings with it a tendency to confuse goals with methods.· One who thinks she fell into that trap is 76-year-old Josephine Woods.
· The unemployment rate fell to 4. 9 percent, a 23-year low, in April.· There has been a return to growth, and unemployment is falling.· In 1996, unemployment in the region fell below 4 percent for the first time in years.· Mr. Corbyn Unemployment may well have fallen since 1987, but it has increased a great deal in the past year.· The Minister will be pleased to know that unemployment in my constituency fell by 41 last month.· For example, it forecast an increase in unemployment of 3,000 for 1986-87; in fact unemployment fell by 6,800.· Hitting the Poor the Hardest Unemployment does not fall gently and evenly across the whole population.
VERB· A light rain began to fall.· In poor countries, however, incomes did not rise as death rates began to fall.· Then, suddenly, I step off a ledge and begin to fall.· Even as he looked the first drops of rain began to fall, whipped into a flurry by a chill little wind.· Attendance at the mission began to fall off.· As he walked along, light rain began to fall.· Outside, the first snow had begun falling.
· Swarf smiled in triumph, letting the body fall on to the ground.· Those on a losing streak will jump from casino to casino, letting the chips fall where they may.· Twist some lengths of red ribbon and let them fall down the sides of the cake.· The rector noticed that Cynthia Coppersmith was letting her tears fall without shame.· Maureen hefted a bright chain and let it fall to the counter.· Roy shrugged off his own coat while still sitting, letting it fall over the back of his chair.· Would they let him fall into our arms if they thought he knew important things?
· It was as if the sounds were rising and falling with a supernatural air current.· A total of 312 shares rose, 494 fell, and 337 were unchanged.· It would not be expected to depend particularly on the frequency, the rate at which the waves rose and fell.· Across the table, Pearl rose and fell in her chair like she kept seeing something out on the water.· In deep antiquity, vast, sprawling empires rose and fell, usually the result of happenstance rather than deliberation.· Hsu Fu rose and fell on big, though not yet dangerous, seas.· He had grey hair and a black moustache which rose and fell as he breathed.· Strange and beautiful and terrible empires rose and fell, and passed on their knowledge to their successors.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► somebody nearly/almost fell off their chair► fall on your sword► fall over something► silence/a hush/sadness etc falls► it’s as easy as falling off a log► fall into somebody’s lapPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► fall apart► the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree► the bottom drops/falls out of the market► have a falling-out (with somebody)► fall into line/bring somebody into line► it fell off the back of a lorry► fall off the wagon
1move downwards [intransitive] to move or drop down from a higher position to a lower position: - A woman had fallen off and broken her pelvis.
- Any crumbs which fell off the table were pounced on by big bronze lizards - skinks.
- Apply moleskin or a Band-Aid and leave in place until it falls off naturally in bath or shower.
- In those days, the sweat would fall off my hands and I'd hear it hitting the floor.
- Keep the napkin square on your lap or it will fall off, and you may not drop anything on the floor.
- The railing on the porch looks like it is going to fall off.
- There were other dangers besides falling off the branch.
- Too easy to fall off and be dragged around by the heel.
- The lights came on as darkness fell on the city.
- And this becomes more intense as night falls.
- As darkness falls an eerie voice Whines beware, beware, beware.
- As darkness falls the immortal sounds of John Hurley will be heard in the upstairs Bar.
- As dusk falls crowds of people walk towards the town to meet the tanker.
- As night falls the houses light up one by one, and smugglers move stealthily about in the moonlight.
- As night falls, the scene changes.
- As night falls, there are nightclubs and discos for those with lots of energy left.
- I drain it, pack my bags, close off the propane, and before dusk falls reluctantly board up the cabin.
- A fierce, terrified elation raced through her veins as her eyes fell on the knife only an inch away from her hand.
- As he scanned the room for potential defenders his eyes fell on Father Ed Dougherty.
- Does the gaze fall on the impaired body or on social barriers?
- He greeted her, his eyes falling on her again for an instant and then skittering away.
- He helped me shift the tea-chests and his eyes fell on your clothes as though dazed in a perfumed garden.
- Its huge eyes fell on the scrap of paper on the floor.
- Looking around, his glance fell on the twigs scattered on the ground where Cassowary had thrown them.
- My eyes fell on the bed and to my horror something began slowly to stir under the blanket.
- At 21 she is set for stardom, but she still finds time for people who have fallen on hard times.
- Even by political standards, Gingrich very quickly fell on hard times.
- I assumed that if a person fell on hard times some one else in the wider family would rescue them.
- Interestingly, though, the bottom 10 includes many household names fallen on hard times.
- The Cambridge University Automobile Club had clearly fallen on hard times, too.
- The model cities program fell on hard times soon after it began.
- With the outbreak of war, the shop fell on harder times.
- Worse, because of Jack the father has fallen on hard times and must meet all kinds of debts.
- Freshers' fair is the traditional showground where societies fall over themselves to attract some of the 5000 new students.
- He was good box office and managements fell over themselves to get his name on their marquees.
- Suddenly, the Kremlin is falling over itself to get close to Uncle Sam.
- The owners are constantly carping about runaway salaries, then fall over themselves to jump the gun and up the ante.
- The receptionist had obviously recognised him too, had practically fallen over herself to bat her long dark eyelashes at him.
- The sight of so many senior politicians falling over themselves to kiss his hand was reminiscent of Tammany Hall at its worst.
- Those first days of their honeymoon in New York, the music publishers had fallen over themselves to entertain the couple.
- We almost fell over ourselves to oblige.
- Gradually the clues started falling into place, and it became clear who the murderer was.
- Once the police received this new evidence, things began falling into place.
- Things are finally falling into place for the team.
- Another piece of the jigsaw had just fallen into place.
- But just in time, it fell into place.
- Gradually the new global masterplan is falling into place: a series of massive bilateral trade agreements are being struck.
- I am like the painter of that mosaic, the small pieces are falling into place and I need your help.
- Mechanisms to ensure gender balance in appointed government bodies were also falling into place.
- That was our greatest moment together, I think, the moment when our whole future fell into place at last.
- The route had by now fallen into place.
- Yet it was not until researchers extended the same effort to the oceans that the bigger tectonic picture fell into place.
- After he left, I fell to pieces.
- As a result, now that the autumn rains were here, it was already showing signs of falling to pieces.
- Being a super-duper well-'ard off-road jobbie, your machine can take a fair amount of punishment before falling to bits.
- He hated playing agony aunt but he couldn't afford to have Hirschfeldt falling to pieces.
- Supposing the union fell to pieces, these were the fracture lines along which it would naturally break.
- The media seemed to be willing the marriage to fall to pieces.
- The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.
- There's a difference between consciously colouring a passage and not being able to control a voice that is falling to bits.
- The walls were all dirty and the furniture was falling to pieces.
- But most of the material was falling to pieces.
- The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.
- There's a difference between consciously colouring a passage and not being able to control a voice that is falling to bits.
- They would blaze into prominence just as the foreground planting was falling to pieces.
- At first, Gorbachev's political ideas fell flat.
- Koppel's clumsy joke fell flat.
- Your joke about the nuns really fell flat, didn't it?
- But the hopes fell flat, and private funding for vaccine work is drying up.
- He has been Navajo president for one year, and his efforts to decentralize tribal government so far have fallen flat.
- However, if your suggestion falls flat, he may not be ready to try another until the 21st century.
- I knew it would fall flat; but it wasn't the bad script which made the film unsuccessful.
- Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
- Edwards fell foul of the authorities and was ordered to leave the country.
- A lot of marriages fall by the wayside because couples cannot talk to each other.
- Congress has let many important issues fall by the wayside this session.
- But better singers fell by the wayside.
- How many more fell by the wayside in the process?
- In any event, the idea that Lazarsfeld had discovered a ubiquitous method of social research has to fall by the wayside.
- Inevitably some fall by the wayside, but his success rate is surprisingly high considering the breadth of the repertoire he tackles.
- Many of her colleagues had fallen by the wayside.
- The gas tax rollback, initiated because gasoline prices spiked this spring, has since fallen by the wayside.
- They were told a lot of wounded men had fallen by the wayside.
- And its spectacular fall from grace should serve as a warning.
- As she descended the stairs, she appreciated for the first time how far she had fallen from grace.
- Daniel prefaces his interpretation with a review of Nebuchadnezzar's prideful fall from grace and Beishazzar's own lack of humility.
- He had an uncharacteristic fall from grace in his match against Connell.
- It was a spectacular fall from grace that took them all down-a major public humiliation.
- Now, as Pope fell from grace, McClellan came to the fore again.
- The competition was soon simplified with the fall from grace of William Craig.
- With the smallest fall from grace, it is quickly turned into badness.
- Along this curve it is as if the plane were freely falling from a great height.
- As it was, the extremely small head of some dinosaurs no doubt reduced the dangers of falling from a great height.
- That particular experience left me with a recurrent dream about falling from great heights.
- When they fell from grace, George Best fell from a greater height.
- Somehow, the plans fell into the hands of an enemy spy.
- And for all that, I have fallen into the hands of the Robemaker, he thought angrily.
- It must never fall into the clutches of a political party again.
- The power to play or not fell into the hands of program director Crocker and his peers around the country.
- Now he had fallen into a trap which the greenest copper would have avoided.
- Instead he fell into step, and they went on from there.
- Once again, Blue falls into step with Black, perhaps even more harmoniously than before.
- She walked to the door, trying her hardest to ignore the man who fell into step beside her.
- The Clinton administration, after some hesitation, fell into step behind Paris.
- The great horse Koulash galloped forward to join the Tsar's horses, and fell into step with them.
- The senator fell into step beside me while some of Bonefish's smaller children followed at a safe distance.
- They fell into step on the slush-covered path.
- All the Republicans except Elton and Carson fell into line and voted yes.
- If you can persuade her, the others will soon fall into line.
- If one rotates one of them a little, everything falls into line.
- Mr Lamont will order the others to fall into line.
- The decision to fall into line was not made for ignoble reasons, but from financial necessity.
- Overall, the study seems to fall between two stools.
- That was a bad time for her because she fell between two stools in a way.
- Alan's charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
- Joseph's words fell on stony ground.
- Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground, but, as we see in subsequent features, others keep coming.
- Their marriages had fallen on stony ground but it seemed to me there was still hope.
- In her excitement, words fell from her lips in a torrent.
- No false word ever falls from his lips.
- In the word "spoken," the stress falls on the first syllable.
- I need some new shoes. These are falling apart.
- San Diego's public buildings are falling apart, but the city refuses to do anything about it.
- That car of yours is falling apart.
- But things were falling apart much earlier than expected.
- Everything was falling apart, and I didn't know how to stop it.
- How does a man even try to explain that he is falling apart because he doesn't kill people any more?
- Mukhamedov's defection two years ago, just as Communism was falling apart, will not be forgiven in a hurry.
- She liked her old apartment, but the neighborhood was falling apart.
- The 911 system is falling apart.
- The Underground seemed to be falling apart.
- When your world falls apart, do you get mad, get out or get even?
- The results fell far short of our expectations.
- Anything less than this is a measure of the extent to which the research falls short of scientific standards.
- By 1951 the Labour government had built 900,000 houses, falling short of its target of 240,000 dwellings a year.
- Even in the best of years, Journal news coverage inevitably falls short of perfection.
- On the other hand, if the firm falls short of covering its fixed costs, a loss will be incurred.
- Reality has a way of falling short of the ideal.
- The results fell short of eight analysts' forecasts of profit between 130 million and 127 million pounds.
- The trainers suggest that, as guards, they fell short of expectations.
- Her nappy was so wet it was falling down her legs.
- It is not that they are falling down drunk at. 08.
- Something, or some one, was falling down the hillside.
- Technically he is excellent but you have noticed that he is falling down on the supervisory aspects of his job.
- The attorney general is supposed to act only when the law enforcement is falling down or broken down in a local community.
- The house is falling down around our ears.
- There was a long pause, then, before it observed that some-thing was falling down toward it from the orbiting ship.
- They liked us at first because they thought we would like be falling down glad to have them as neighbors.
- A number of woodcutters and honey-hunters have fallen victim to Sunderbans tigers.
- All these animals, and others, had fallen prey to the apprentice hunters.
- But he suddenly fell victim to his own pride and courage.
- Even Jim Harrick fell victim to the mood.
- It really seems as if some drivers fall prey to a death wish when freezing fog descends.
- Surely Cynthia didn't fall victim to the same fear?
- This way, Tucson can avoid falling prey to wildcat subdivisions on its fringes.
- You have to assume that Mobs will occasionally fall prey to animosity come what may.
- Dad always falls asleep in front of the TV after Sunday lunch.
- Has Monica fallen asleep yet?
- Her three-year-old daughter fell asleep while we talked.
- I must have fallen asleep with the light on last night.
- One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
- Al Gore falls asleep as he makes maiden speech as Vice-President; no-one notices - they're all asleep too.
- Had they fallen asleep, the firemen say, not one of them would have survived.
- He falls asleep in the chair, wakes up startled, afraid for a moment to move.
- He fell asleep dreaming though that Rupert Quashie went to the beach and pushed Collymore down with his gun.
- He seemed to fall asleep, leaning heavily on to Cameron.
- I'd fallen asleep, and now I was awake.
- I fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, some one was waking me.
- Suddenly he gave a frightened start, for he had nearly fallen asleep and the ground below seemed a long distance away.
- As rioting continued, Mayor Warren appealed for calm, but his words fell on deaf ears.
- His pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
- The workers' demand for a wage increase has fallen on deaf ears.
- Their requests fell on deaf ears.
- Arguments that some of the skills practised by pupils are obsolete fall on deaf ears, or are heeded only very slowly.
- But my suggestions fell on deaf ears.
- Invitations by Paredes to the various governors to second his plan fell on deaf ears.
- Pleas that the couple and their two young children will be homeless and facing financial ruin have fallen on deaf ears.
- They formulated a programme of demands, but these fell on deaf ears in Petrograd.
- Those words fell on deaf ears.
- Until Friday, such complaints appeared to fall on deaf ears at the Treasury.
- But the hopes fell flat, and private funding for vaccine work is drying up.
- He has been Navajo president for one year, and his efforts to decentralize tribal government so far have fallen flat.
- However, if your suggestion falls flat, he may not be ready to try another until the 21st century.
- Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
- She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.
- The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.
- As we were going out to the car Babe slipped and fell flat on her face.
- At last, after several near misses, I fall flat on my face.
- Because if you don't a fresh ambition or optimistic plan will fall flat on its face.
- But once the ball tips, the game falls flat on its face faster than a top-ranked team after a first-round upset.
- It is also a nation waiting for her to fall flat on her face.
- Writers strive for a universal experience distilled from personal memories and tend to fall flat on their faces.
- Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
- After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.
- Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.
- Forgive the cliché, but for once I have fallen on my feet.
- He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.
- However he landed on his feet.
- Jonathon is a trained musician filling in as a cleaner between jobs and he fell on his feet at the Oxford Playhouse.
- This is a company that tends to land on its feet.
- It wasn't just the usual liaison: the two of them fell head over heels in love.
- Ace, Defries and Bernice fell in a heap.
- Graham never saw what hit him, and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
- Sure enough, the Mean Machine runs the same play again and Budanski collapses in a heap, not breathing.
- The foreigner stumbled on a few steps, his brains leaking out around his earphones, and collapsed in a heap.
- The gallant commander and his horse fell in a heap... the horse dead, the rider unhurt.
- The lion fell in a heap, and she got a steel knee on top of it.
- Who knew when she might collapse in a heap of baubles and bangles?
- And, unknown to her father, I fell hopelessly in love with her.
- I was too afraid of falling hopelessly in love with this protégé of Yukio Mishima, whose marvellous homoerotic poems I translated.
- James Pawsey, the Tory member for Rugby, also appeared to be hopelessly in love.
- She was falling hopelessly in love with the man.
- Even with the former region's history of testing in primaries, children continue to slip through the net.
- Graham, on the other hand, had nearly slipped through the net.
- In a child-centred class of 30 children it is easy for some to slip through the net and learn nothing.
- No one knows how many have slipped through the net.
- One group still fell through the net.
- Paul Merton slipped through the net.
- This one slipped through the net.
- If reforms are not carried out soon, the economy will simply fall to pieces.
- Stacy would fall to pieces if she knew Gary was cheating on her.
- The vase fell to pieces as soon as it hit the floor.
- After he left, I fell to pieces.
- As a result, now that the autumn rains were here, it was already showing signs of falling to pieces.
- He hated playing agony aunt but he couldn't afford to have Hirschfeldt falling to pieces.
- I suppose it's just about falling to pieces.
- Supposing the union fell to pieces, these were the fracture lines along which it would naturally break.
- The house was filthy, she realized, practically falling to pieces.
- The media seemed to be willing the marriage to fall to pieces.
- The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.
- Another piece of the jigsaw had just fallen into place.
- But just in time, it fell into place.
- I am like the painter of that mosaic, the small pieces are falling into place and I need your help.
- Mechanisms to ensure gender balance in appointed government bodies were also falling into place.
- That was our greatest moment together, I think, the moment when our whole future fell into place at last.
- The route had by now fallen into place.
- Yet it was not until researchers extended the same effort to the oceans that the bigger tectonic picture fell into place.
- After a convincing win in game 1 Kasparov fell prey to overconfidence, losing games 4 and 5.
- All these animals, and others, had fallen prey to the apprentice hunters.
- It really seems as if some drivers fall prey to a death wish when freezing fog descends.
- Now, once again, the thin reed of refugee protection has fallen prey to the winds of political expediency.
- The magnificent castle was doomed to fall prey to the hand of desolation.
- The older trees grow spindly and, their immune systems weakened, fall prey to infestation of beetles and disease.
- These refugees fell prey to marauding gangs, even to troopers, or to one another.
- With aid supplies almost always out of reach, the boys became weak, and stragglers fell prey to wild animals.
- He seems to be riding for a fall, almost recklessly risk-taking.
- The Warriors were leading, with only a few minutes of the game to go, when the roof fell in.
- It may not be long before the roof falls in.
- The 18th century mansion has fallen into ruin.
- In 1685 the castle was burnt by the Duke of Argyll and fell into ruin.
- Miles of poverty with modern adobe dwellings either being built or falling into ruin.
- Unemployment runs at more than 50 %, and most factories have fallen into ruin.
- It's high time the scales fell from our eyes, and our bathrooms.
- The country's whole economy is coming apart at the seams.
- Anything less than this is a measure of the extent to which the research falls short of scientific standards.
- By 1951 the Labour government had built 900,000 houses, falling short of its target of 240,000 dwellings a year.
- Even in the best of years, Journal news coverage inevitably falls short of perfection.
- On the other hand, if the firm falls short of covering its fixed costs, a loss will be incurred.
- Reality has a way of falling short of the ideal.
- The results fell short of eight analysts' forecasts of profit between 130 million and 127 million pounds.
- The trainers suggest that, as guards, they fell short of expectations.
- But the argument must stand or fall on its merits.
- For the government, acceptance of central planning did not stand or fall on the issue of nationalisation.
- It seems that this is a case that will stand or fall on its own particular facts.
- Mr Karimov knows that he will stand or fall on his ability to stave off economic collapse.
- The school has an outstanding and deserved reputation, which will stand or fall by the testimony of its pupils.
- The storyline was always going to stand or fall by the performance of Tim Guinee as Lazar.
- The success of the new News at Ten will stand or fall on his relationship with the seven million plus viewers.
- Their case would stand or fall on her reliability.
- Instead he fell into step, and they went on from there.
- Once again, Blue falls into step with Black, perhaps even more harmoniously than before.
- She walked to the door, trying her hardest to ignore the man who fell into step beside her.
- The Clinton administration, after some hesitation, fell into step behind Paris.
- The great horse Koulash galloped forward to join the Tsar's horses, and fell into step with them.
- The senator fell into step beside me while some of Bonefish's smaller children followed at a safe distance.
- They fell into step on the slush-covered path.
- Alan's charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
- Joseph's words fell on stony ground.
- Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground, but, as we see in subsequent features, others keep coming.
- Their marriages had fallen on stony ground but it seemed to me there was still hope.
- But do not fall into the trap of doing something I saw recently.
- Don't fall into the trap of comparing your wages and conditions with other volunteers and development workers.
- Duffy refuses to fall into the trap of spoon-feeding the material to passive students, which only increases their passivity.
- During the 90s Washington fell into the trap of allowing events to dictate the relationship, with increasingly destabilising results.
- Journalists can fall into the trap of being hypercritical.
- She was not going to fall into the trap of thinking she wanted Vitor as Vitor.
- So answer this question truthfully, lest your smart organization fall into the trap of continuing to outsmart itself.
- When we tie it to jobs, or to survival needs, we fall into the trap of mechanistic literacy.
- And dying for a drink.The badger falls victim to the drought.
- Bill Vaughan, returned the favor last year after the Baptist church fell victim to arson.
- Don't allow yourself to fall victim to self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Even Jim Harrick fell victim to the mood.
- For one thing, government economic statistics have fallen victim to the fiscal paralysis in Washington.
- Many of you who do use your talents and prosper in the business may fall victim to its pressures.
- Not one has ever fallen victim to a gangland-style hit after coming forward with solid information.
- Numbers of large mammals, including elephants, will have fallen victim to booby traps and land-mines.
- A crossed cheque therefore gives some protection against fraud if it falls into the wrong hands.
- And images of Kurds on tape could fall into the wrong hands.
- But some gun dealers have stopped selling replicas, because they're worried about them falling into the wrong hands.
- Cards falling into the wrong hands cost the industry three hundred pounds every minute.
- I will never allow Kirsty to fall into the wrong hands.
- Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands.
- Voice over Mr Foulkes is seeking Government safeguards to prevent Rayo from falling into the wrong hands.
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).2stop 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)3decrease [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.► see thesaurus at decreaseRegisterIn everyday English, people often say an amount or level goes down rather than falls:· House prices have gone down again.4become [intransitive, linking verb] to start to be in a new or different statefall 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.5belong 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 thingsfall 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.6fall 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.7fall 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 violence8night/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.9silence/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.10start 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.11fall 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.12fall 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.13be 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.14fall flat if a joke, remark, or performance falls flat, it fails to interest or amuse people: Marlow’s attempts at jokes fell flat.15fall 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.16fall 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.17fall 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.18fall from a great height to be forced to leave an important job or position, or lose the respect that people had for you19 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.20fall into a trap/pitfall to make a mistake that many people make: Don’t fall into the trap of feeling guilty.21fall into step a)to start to walk next to someone else, at the same speed as themfall 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 groupfall with The other countries on the Council are expected to fall into step with the US.22fall 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.23hang down [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hang down looselyfall over His dark hair fell over his face.24light/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.25special 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.26lose 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.27be 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 itfall to The city fell to the advancing Russian armies.28be killed [intransitive] to be killed in a war SYN die29hit [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to hit a particular place or a particular part of someone’s bodyfall on The first punch fell on his nose.30voice/sound [intransitive] if someone’s voice or a sound falls, it becomes quieter or lower OPP rise31it’s as easy as falling off a log spoken used to say that something is very easy to do32fall between two stools British English to be neither one type of thing nor another, or be unable to choose between two ways of doing something33fall on stony ground British English if a request, suggestion, joke etc falls on stony ground, it is ignored or people do not like it34fall from somebody’s lips literary if words fall from someone’s lips, they say them35fall into somebody’s lap if an opportunity falls into someone’s lap, they get it without having made any effort to get it36the 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), → somebody’s face fell at face1(2), → 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: · 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 verb1if 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.2be falling apart to be in very bad condition: Tommy’s old bicycle was rusty and falling apart.3to break into pieces: The book fell apart in my hands.4to be unable to deal with your personal or emotional problems: She had to get some rest or she was going to fall apart.5somebody’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 verb1to slope down: From where we stood, the ground fell away sharply to the valley floor.2to become separated from something after being fixed to it: The paint was falling away in patches.3if a feeling falls away, you stop having it, usually suddenly: The view from the top was wonderful and our tiredness fell away.4British English to decrease SYN fall OPP rise: Demand for our more theoretical courses has fallen away.fall back phrasal verb1if soldiers fall back, they move back because they are being attacked SYN retreat: He yelled for his men to fall back.2to move backwards because you are very surprised, frightened etc: Scott fell back a pace in astonishment.3British 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 failedhave somebody/something to fall back on She has no relatives to fall back on. Where negotiation fails, they must fall back on the law. → fallbackfall behind (somebody/something) phrasal verb1to 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.2to 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.3to fail to finish a piece of work or pay someone money that you owe them at the right timefall behind with/on After losing his job, he fell behind with his mortgage payments. The project has fallen behind schedule.fall down phrasal verb1be 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.2to 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 informal1to be tricked into believing something that is not true: He is too smart to fall for that trick.2to start to love someone: That was the summer I worked at the fairground, and met and fell for Lucy.3to like a place as soon as you see itfall in phrasal verb1if the roof, ceiling etc falls in, it falls onto the ground SYN collapse2to start walking or forming a line of people behind someone elsefall in behind His men fell in behind him.fall into something phrasal verb1to 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.2to start doing something by chance: I fell into the job really.fall in with somebody/something phrasal verb1to 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.2to 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 verb1fall 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.2if 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.3somebody 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 lorryfall on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb1if a duty or job falls on someone, they are responsible for doing it: The responsibility usually falls on the mother.2literary to eagerly start eating or using something: She fell on the food as if she hadn’t eaten for days.3literary to suddenly attack or get hold of someone: Some of the older boys fell on him and broke his glasses.4somebody’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?’5fall 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.6fall 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 verb1to have a quarrelfall out with Carrie’s always falling out with people.2if a tooth or your hair falls out, it is then no longer attached to your body: The drugs made her hair fall out.3if soldiers fall out, they stop standing in a line and move away to different placesfall over phrasal verb1to fall onto the ground or to fall from an upright position: Tommy fell over and cut his knee badly. Her bike fell over.2fall 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 verb1if 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.2written 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.fall1 verbfall2 noun
fallfall2 ●●● S2 W2 noun EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Fall is my favorite season.
- I sat listening to the fall of the rain on the roof.
- It's a movie about the fall of France in 1940.
- It's one of the heaviest falls of snow on record.
- There was a dramatic fall in temperature overnight.
- Floyd investigated it soon after free fall had begun.
- Here, the fall is 48 percent since the objective was introduced.
- It seemed that the wind had dropped a little with the fall of night.
- 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.
THESAURUS
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
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.
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.
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.
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
Longman Language Activatorwhen someone accidentally falls from a standing position to accidentally fall from a standing position: · She was going up the stairs when she fell.· George held on tightly, afraid that he might fall.fall down the stairs/steps etc: · There was concern for the Queen Mother yesterday after she fell down a short flight of steps at the airport.
to fall onto the ground from a standing position: · Ben fell down and scraped his knee.· Beginning skiers can expect to fall down a lot.· The pavement was slippery and it was easy to fall over.
British if someone, especially an old person, has a fall , they fall and hurt themselves: · My neighbour has had a fall and broken a rib.· Grandma had a bad fall in the snow that winter.
to fall quickly down a slope or down stairs, rolling over and over and unable to stop: tumble down/off/into etc: · She tumbled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom.· A bus veered off the road and tumbled down the hill into the river below.
to fall over suddenly so that you are lying on your front on the ground, especially in a way that makes you look funny: · She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.· The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.
to fall suddenly and heavily onto the ground, into a chair etc, because of tiredness, illness, or injury: · One of the horses collapsed from exhaustion after the race.collapse on: · Cohen was hospitalized after he collapsed on the floor and briefly lost consciousness.collapse into: · Milligan collapsed into a chair, sighing deeply.
to suddenly fall to the ground, because you are ill or have had a shock: · She'd been complaining of a headache all morning, and suddenly she just keeled over.· Carson keeled over and died in front of the nightclub after taking a number of illegal drugs.
to fall forward with so much force that you roll over: · She slipped on the polished floor and went head over heels.· Shelly's horse stepped into soft sand and went down, horse and rider going head over heels in a cloud of dust.
to almost fall from a standing position also trip over British to accidentally hit something with your foot when you are walking or running, so that you fall or nearly fall: · I didn't push him - he tripped.· She'd had quite a lot to drink and kept tripping over.trip over: · Pick up that box -- someone might trip over it.trip on: · Her medical problems began when she tripped on a rug and broke her hip.trip and fall: · One boy tripped and fell into the water.
to accidentally slide on a wet or smooth surface, so that you fall or nearly fall: · Be careful you don't slip - the floor's wet.slip on : · She slipped on the icy sidewalk and grabbed Will's arm to steady herself.slip and fall: · I walked slowly through the mud, trying not to slip and fall.
to nearly fall down when you are walking or running, because you do not put your foot down carefully or because something is in the way: · In her hurry, Eva stumbled and dropped the tray she was carrying.stumble on/over: · Mason headed towards the house, stumbling on the rough ground.
to fall or nearly fall, when you need to balance carefully to remain in an upright position, for example when you are standing on a ladder or riding a bicycle: · I tried to help Gina up, but I lost my balance and we both fell into the stream.· Bill was leaning over to watch, and lost his balance.
to lose your balance because your foot slips, especially when you are walking or climbing over an uneven or slippery surface: · I lost my footing on the snowy bank and fell into the river.· A climber who lost his footing was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
when an upright object, a building, a wall, etc falls · She was playing just yards from where the building fell.fall across/onto/on top of · A tree had fallen across the road and blocked it.fall off/out of/from · The days were getting shorter and the leaves had started falling from the trees· I can't find my passport - it must have fallen out of my pocket.
if a tall object falls over , it falls onto its side from an upright position: · That bookcase looks as if it's about to fall over.· There was no wind; the tree just fell over.
if a building, wall, or fence falls down , part or all of it falls to the ground, because it is in bad condition or because it has been damaged: · A boy was injured yesterday when part of a wall fell down near to where he was playing.· A large tree fell down during a windstorm and damaged our car.
if a building, wall etc collapses , it suddenly falls down, especially because of a sudden pressure: · Our tent collapsed in the middle of the night.· The building was badly damaged in the explosion, and rescue workers are worried that it may collapse.· Minutes later the second tower collapsed.
if a roof falls in , it falls to the ground inside the building: · During the hurricane the roof fell in.fall in on: · We need to fix the ceiling before it falls in on us.
if a roof, wall etc caves in , it suddenly and heavily falls inwards especially because it is weak and in bad condition: · The roof has caved in, so the whole building has been declared unsafe.cave in on: · Wooden beams support the roof, preventing it from caving in on the miners.
if something topples over , it moves unsteadily backwards and forwards then falls to the ground: · The little boy put one more brick on the tower and it toppled over.· That plant's going to topple over if you don't put it in a bigger pot.
to suddenly turn and fall to the ground as a result of not being properly balanced: · I sat on the edge of the table, and the whole thing tipped over.· The fire started when a lamp tipped over and ignited a cloth sofa.
to fall through the air to the ground · One of the climbers fell fifty feet.· A light rain was falling.fall out/into/from etc · She opened the cupboard and everything fell out.· There should be spaces between the boards of the deck to allow debris to fall through.· Fred fell out of the tree and broke his arm.· The girl had fallen from a fourth-floor window, but was not badly hurt.fall on · Careful that box doesn't fall on you, Charlotte!
to accidentally fall from something in a high position to the ground: · Jim was laughing so hard he fell off his chair.· A bag of groceries fell off the table onto the floor.
to suddenly fall a long way from somewhere high up: · The aeroplane's engines failed and it plunged into the ocean.plunge off/down/into etc: · Their car swerved to avoid a truck, and plunged off the cliff.plunge to your death (=fall a long way and be killed): · A skydiver plunged to his death yesterday when his parachute failed to open.
to fall from somewhere high up, very quickly and very directly: · The rope snapped, causing the climber to plummet several hundred feet down the mountain.· Two aircraft on a training flight collided and plummeted to the ground.
to fall suddenly from a high place straight down onto or towards the ground: drop onto/to/from etc: · Two bottles rolled across the table, dropped onto the floor, and smashed.· A few pine cones had already dropped to the ground.
to fall quickly through the air, rolling over and over: tumble down/off/from etc: · A little girl tumbled about 30 feet from the window of her family's third-floor apartment.
if rain, snow etc comes down , it falls heavily: · We can't go out now -- the rain's really coming down.· Snow was coming down so thickly I could barely see through the window.
to fall off a horse, bicycle etc to accidentally fall from something you are riding on, for example a horse or a bicycle: · He fell off his bike and broke his wrist.· A bolt broke on an amusement park ride, and several children who fell off were seriously injured.
to fall off a horse or similar animal because of a violent or sudden movement: · Rodeo riders can suffer appalling injuries after being thrown by bulls and steers.be thrown from: · He broke his neck when he was thrown from a horse.
to deliberately make someone fall to push or hit someone hard, so that they fall to the ground: knock somebody over/down: · Careful where you're going! You nearly knocked me over!· In the rush to get out of the building, she was knocked down.knock down/over somebody: · Some of the bigger boys purposely knock over the smaller ones.
also trip up British to make someone fall or almost fall by putting your foot or another object in their way: · One of the runners claimed she had been tripped.trip somebody up: · One man tripped me up and the other one grabbed my handbag.
to deliberately push someone with your hand so that they fall to the ground: · Another little kid came and pushed him over onto the grass.
to hit someone so hard that they lose their balance and fall to the ground: · A teenage boy knocked him to the ground and ran off with his briefcase.
to let something fall or make something fall to stop holding something so that it falls, especially accidentally: · Watch you don't drop that box - it's very heavy.· Her hands shake constantly and she keeps dropping things.· You dropped your toy. Do you want it back?drop something on/onto something: · Margaret dropped the letters onto her desk.
to hit something so that it falls onto its side from an upright position, especially when you do this accidentally: knock something over: · Be careful or you'll knock the vase over.knock over something: · He bumped into the table and knocked over the candle.
to accidentally let liquid, powder, or small pieces of something fall onto a surface and spread out over it: · Oops, I just spilled my water.spill something down/all over/onto something: · "How was the party?" "OK, but some idiot spilled wine all over my new dress."· Aaron spilled all the popcorn on the floor.
to make something fall over, usually accidentally, by making it lose balance: tip something over: · The cat managed to tip the Christmas tree over.tip over something: · He accidentally tipped over a candle, and the tablecloth caught fire.
to make something fall on its side or turn something over completely, especially by pushing it very hard: · The wind was so strong that it overturned dustbins and wrecked fences.· Protestors overturned cars and set fire to them.
to accidentally knock or push something over, so that its contents fall out and spread over a wide area: · One of the kids upset a bottle of water on the table.
to be blamed for something, especially unfairly to be blamed for something, especially something that you did not do: · Hurry up! It's me who'll get the blame if we're late.· The crowds cause the problems, but the police get blamed for it.get the blame/get blamed for: · Television often gets blamed for the decline in family life.get the blame/get blamed for doing something: · Karen got blamed for losing the deal.
if a person, group, or organization is in the firing line , they are publicly blamed for something bad that has happened because people think they are officially responsible: · Rail bosses are in the firing line again following last week's accident.· Trimble may find himself on the firing line for not responding to the escalating violence.
to accept that people will blame you for something, either because it is your fault or because they think it is your fault: · The coach took the blame for his team's loss.take the blame for: · My wife didn't want me to take the blame for something we were both involved in.· I took the blame for Butch because I was afraid of him.
informal to be blamed and punished for a crime or a mistake, even if you did not do it: · I'm not going to take the rap for management's mistakes.take the rap for: · The police will make sure someone takes the rap for this, and they don't care who it is.
British informal to be the only person blamed and punished for something that is someone else's fault as well as your own: · Alan's senior colleagues decided to let him carry the can.carry the can for: · As chairman I was left to carry the can for a decision that made no sense and was not of my doing.
American to be blamed and punished for a mistake or a crime, even if you did not do it: · He won't go to jail, he'll get one of his associates to take the fall.take the fall for: · If you think I'm going to take the fall for the scandal just to protect the Senator, you're crazy.
WORD SETSabsolutism, nounadministration, nounagency, nounagent, nounagent provocateur, nounalderman, nounally, nounassembly, nounautarchy, nounautocracy, nounautocrat, nounautonomous, adjectiveautonomy, nounban, nounbaron, nounbig government, nounbilateral, adjectivebody politic, nounbudget, nounbureau, nounbureaucracy, nouncabinet, nouncaliphate, nouncanton, nouncanvass, verbcapital, nouncapitalist, nounCapitol Hill, nounCBE, nouncede, verbcentral, adjectivecentral government, nouncentralism, nouncentralize, verbchancellery, nounchancery, nouncharter, nouncharter, verbchief, nounCIA, the, city hall, nouncity-state, nounclient state, nounCo., coalition, nouncold war, nouncolonial, adjectivecolonial, nouncolonialism, nouncolonize, verbcolony, nouncommissioner, nouncommune, nounconsort, nounconstitution, nounconstitutional, adjectiveconstitutionality, nounconvention, nouncoronation, nouncount, nouncounterintelligence, nouncountess, nouncounty, nouncounty council, noundecolonize, verbdemocracy, noundemocratic, adjectivedependency, noundespotism, noundétente, noundethrone, verbdevolution, noundictatorial, adjectivedictatorship, noundiplomacy, noundiplomatic immunity, noundirective, noundisinformation, noundispatch, noundispensation, noundissent, verbdistrict council, noundocumentation, nounDOD, dominion, nounDowning Street, noundynasty, nounearl, nounearldom, nounempire, nounEuro, adjectiveEurope, nounexecutive, nounexecutive privilege, nounfall, verbfall, nounfederalism, nounfeudal, adjectivefeudalism, nounfeudalistic, adjectivegazette, nounhead of state, nounhigh commission, nounimperial, adjectiveindependence, nounindependent, adjectiveinfrastructure, nouninstigate, verbinsurgent, nouninsurrection, nounintelligence, nouninternal, adjectivejunket, nounjunta, nounkingdom, nounkingship, nounkitchen cabinet, nounland office, nounland registry, nounlegation, nounlegislature, nounlicensed, adjectivelocal authority, nounlocal government, nounmaharajah, nounmaharani, nounmandate, nounmandated, adjectivemartial law, nounMBE, nounmeasure, nounmidterm, nounministry, nounminority government, nounmisrule, nounmonarchy, nounmonolith, nounmonolithic, adjectivemoratorium, nounmouthpiece, nounmove, verbmover, nounmunicipal, adjectivemunicipality, nounNASA, nounnational, adjectivenational debt, nounNational Health Service, the, nationalize, verbnational monument, nounnation state, nounNATO, nounneocolonialism, nounneutral, adjectiveneutral, nounneutralize, verbnon-aligned, adjectivenon-intervention, nounnon-proliferation, noun-ocracy, suffix-ocrat, suffixofficiate, verboligarchy, nounoperational, adjectiveoperative, nounoverthrow, verboverthrow, nounoverturn, verbpacify, verbpact, nounpalatinate, nounpardon, nounparish, nounpartition, nounpass, verbpeer, nounpeer, verbpeerage, nounpeeress, nounpermit, nounplenary, adjectiveplutocracy, nounpolice state, nounpolitburo, nounpolitical science, nounpolity, nounpork, nounpork barrel, nounportfolio, nounpossession, nounprecinct, nounprefecture, nounpremiership, nounpresidium, nounprotectorate, nounpublic, adjectivepublic service, nounquota, nounR, ratify, verbrealm, nounrecall, nounrecognition, nounrecognize, verbregency, nounregent, nounregime, nounregister, nounregulation, nounrelease, nounrepeal, verbrepresentative, nounrepressive, adjectiverepublic, nounrepublican, adjectiverescind, verbreunify, verbrevoke, verbrising, nounroyalist, nounruling, adjectivesanction, nounseat, nounsecret agent, nounsecurity service, nounself-governing, adjectiveself-rule, nounsheikh, nounshire, nounsocial democracy, nounsocialist, adjectivesocial service, nounsovereign, adjectivesovereignty, nounspin doctor, nounstaff, nounstate, nounstatehood, nounStatehouse, nounstate line, nounstate of emergency, nounstatewide, adjectivesubject, adjectivesubject, verbsultanate, nounsummit, nounsuperpower, nounsuppress, verbsupranational, adjectivesurgery, nounsuzerainty, nountechnocracy, nounterritory, nounthrone, nountopple, verbtotalitarian, adjectivetown planning, nountownship, nountransit visa, nountreaty, nountribalism, nountripartite, adjectivetrusteeship, nountsarism, nountyrant, nountzarism, noununconstitutional, adjectiveunification, noununify, verbunilateral, adjectiveunion, nounUnion Jack, nounvassal, nounVIP, nounviscount, nounviscountess, nounwelfare state, nounWhitehall, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY 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). the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countries 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).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES areas falling within the ambit of our research The nation is in danger of falling into anarchy. One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel (=falling asleep while driving). Rose fell, landing with a bump. He lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The delay threw the entire timetable into disarray. Coal fell into disfavour because burning it caused pollution. buildings allowed to fall into disrepair This theory fell into disrepute in the fifties. The building eventually fell into disuse. Output has increased dramatically. The finger of suspicion immediately fell on Broderick. He had clearly fallen on hard times (=did not have much money). I fell head-first down the stairs. I fell headlong into a pool of icy water. A sudden hush fell over the crowd. One of the crew fell overboard and drowned. a drop in oil and gas production Shares in the company dropped 26p yesterday, as profits fell short of City expectations. The economy fell short of the Treasury’s target of 2% growth. Facilities in these schools fall far short of the standards required. One or two songs on the album are interesting, but most fall short of the mark (=are not good enough). The crowd fell silent (=became silent) when the president appeared. At last the guns fell silent. I didn’t want to fall into the same snare again. She went into a deep hypnotic trance. Mr Smith has walked straight into a trap laid by the Tories. He tripped and fell. Turnover rose 9%. His warning fell on unresponsive ears (=was not listened to). The dollar fell by 24 percent against the yen (=decreased in value in relation to the yen) between 1970 and 1973.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
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). the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countries 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). (=no longer be used)
areas falling within the ambit of our research The nation is in danger of falling into anarchy. (=become late with payments)
One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel (=falling asleep while driving). (=separate into many different parts because of being old or damaged)· The book was so old that I was afraid it would fall to bits.
· A bomb fell on the cathedral during the war.
Rose fell, landing with a bump.· The tax burden falls most heavily upon the poorest people.
· The data we collected fell into two categories.
(=go into one)· Brett slipped into a coma from which he never awakened.
· Coal consumption has fallen dramatically.
· Airline costs have fallen considerably.
(=hang down)· The child's golden curls fell around her shoulders.
(=it goes up or down in relation to other currencies)· The currency fell from 144 to the dollar twelve months ago to 812.
(also darkness descends literary)· As darkness fell, rescue workers had to give up the search.
(=does not happen as arranged)· The cost was simply too high, so the deal fell through.
(=become less important, successful etc)· At the beginning of the century the cloth trade was going into decline.
He lay down and fell into a deep sleep. (=decreasing)· the falling demand for coal
(=becomes lower)· Demand for the products has fallen in the last six months.
The delay threw the entire timetable into disarray. Coal fell into disfavour because burning it caused pollution. buildings allowed to fall into disrepair This theory fell into disrepute in the fifties. The building eventually fell into disuse.· Between these years there was a dramatic fall in youth employment.
Output has increased dramatically. (=become lower)· The company’s earnings fell by 21% in the fourth quarter.
(=very easy)
(=loses power suddenly)· In A.D.476, the western part of the Empire collapsed.
(=the sudden end of an empire)· After the battle of Waterloo, the collapse of Napoleon's empire was inevitable.
(=be worse that someone hoped or expected)· Our profits last year fell below expectations.
· Government expenditure on scientific research has fallen in the last few years.
· Exports of gas and oil continued to fall while imports of raw materials have risen.
· There has been a decline in exports and an increase in oil prices.
(=they look sad or disappointed)· Her face fell when she saw who it was.
The finger of suspicion immediately fell on Broderick.· He let his cigarette fall to the floor.
(=someone looks at someone or something)· Fisher’s gaze fell on Mr. Grant.
(=someone looks at something)· Geoff’s glance fell on the broken vase.
(=become 50% less)· Share prices fell by half.
He had clearly fallen on hard times (=did not have much money). I fell head-first down the stairs. I fell headlong into a pool of icy water. A sudden hush fell over the crowd. (=not be as good as you think something should be)· In appearance, she fell somewhat short of his ideals.
formal (=become ill)· Louise fell ill while she was on holiday.
· Imports of consumer goods fell sharply in December.
· Average income fell by one third during this period.
· Inflation fell by 0.5% last month.
(=be influenced by someone or something)· They had come under the influence of a religious sect.
(=people don’t find a joke funny)· His practical jokes usually fell flat.
(=move so that you are kneeling) Tim fell to his knees and started to pray.
Tim fell to his knees and started to pray.· One of the builders fell off a ladder and broke his leg.
British English (=laugh a lot)· He saw the look on my face and he just fell about laughing.
· All the leaves had fallen off the tree.
(=that have fallen off the trees)· The children were jumping in piles of fallen leaves.
· Pollution levels have fallen slightly.
· The light fell on her book.
(=start being in love)· I fell in love with her the minute I saw her.
(=be worth less than ever before) The euro has fallen to a new low against the dollar.
The euro has fallen to a new low against the dollar. (=be unable to pay enough money each month)· He fell behind with the mortgage when he lost his job.
(=in surprise)· ‘Me?’ she said, her mouth dropping open.
written (=it starts to become dark)· It grew colder as night fell.
· The number of new houses being built is falling steadily.
One of the crew fell overboard and drowned. (also fall behind with the payments British English) (=not make payments when you should)· I’d run up nearly £4,000 in debt, and was beginning to fall behind with the payments.
· Visitor numbers have fallen from a peak of 1.8 million per year to under 1 million.
· The population in many rural areas has continued to fall.
· In real terms, the price of clothes has fallen over the last ten years.
· Poor demand led to a sharp drop in prices.
a drop in oil and gas production· The group saw profits fall from £24m to £17.8m.
· The rain was still falling steadily.
· A falling mortality rate led to a gradual increase in the proportion of the aged in the population.
· His rating fell to only 28%.
(=is beaten)· Another record will fall on the last day of the season, if Arsenal win their final game.
(=loses power)· Authoritarian regimes tend to collapse in times of economic hardship.
(=fail to pay your rent on time)· You could be evicted if you fall behind with the rent.
· The exhibition tells the story of the rise and fall of the Etruscan civilisation.
(=get into a routine without making any difficulty)· The team slipped quickly into a routine.
(=become lower)· European sales have fallen by 12%.
· Some jobs may be cut following a big drop in sales.
(=be included in it)· Banks and building societies fall within the scope of the new legislation.
(=not be included in it)· His later exploits in Persia fall outside the scope of this book.
(=appears on something)· The footsteps came closer, and a shadow fell across the table.
(=their value decreases)· Shares fell sharply on the London Stock Market yesterday.
· Oil prices fell sharply.
Shares in the company dropped 26p yesterday, as profits fell short of City expectations. The economy fell short of the Treasury’s target of 2% growth. Facilities in these schools fall far short of the standards required. One or two songs on the album are interesting, but most fall short of the mark (=are not good enough). formal (=become ill, especially with something serious or that will last a long time)· He fell sick and died within a matter of weeks.
(=a silence begins)· A sudden silence fell over the room.
The crowd fell silent (=became silent) when the president appeared. At last the guns fell silent. (=start sleeping deeply, for a long time etc)· He lay down on his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
I didn’t want to fall into the same snare again.· Outside in the dark, snow was falling silently.
(=an occasion when it snows)· We had our first fall of snow in mid-November.
· School inspectors say that educational standards have fallen.
· Suspicion fell on Jenkins who had been seen near the scene of the crime.
(=achieve less than you wanted to)· Car production at the plant has fallen short of its target by 5%.
· At night there is a dramatic drop in temperature.
· Last winter, the temperature fell below freezing on only five days.
She went into a deep hypnotic trance. Mr Smith has walked straight into a trap laid by the Tories. He tripped and fell. Turnover rose 9%.· Rising unemployment led to more crime.
· We are hoping to see a fall in unemployment.
His warning fell on unresponsive ears (=was not listened to). British English (=become vacant) He was offered the position of headmaster when it fell vacant.
He was offered the position of headmaster when it fell vacant.· There is a risk that the shares may fall in value.
· The value of your investment may fall.
· There was a sudden drop in the value of oil.
The dollar fell by 24 percent against the yen (=decreased in value in relation to the yen) between 1970 and 1973.· You will forgive him using but he had a bad fall yesterday and has damaged his ankle.· Moceanu took a bad fall midway through her routine on the beam.· You took a bad fall - twenty feet, maybe - almost vertical.· This impasse was made worse by continued falls in copper prices until the mid-1980s.
· The most striking change between 1975 and 1988 has been the dramatic fall in youth employment from 60% to 20%.· Most domestic items, particularly those made of wood show a dramatic fall after the mid-seventeenth century.· Perhaps the most dramatic fall from grace was the case of Hu Yaobang.
· Thus we have verified that a transformation to a frame in free fall is always possible. 6.7.· It is emphasized here that there is no rotation in a frame in free fall.· The northeastern flank is the lowest, but still promises 500 feet of free fall.· Wild speculation, low margin requirements and sheer panic triggered the free fall that set off the Great Depression.· In free fall, only the force of gravity is acting so the body is not in compression.· But as they go into production the stock exchanges go into free fall.
· When they met in Paris last fall, they knew they were made for each other.· Since Richard left for California last fall, my bank account has grown by leaps and bounds.· Compared to last fall, maybe a little.· Preliminary evidence of lapses at Penn emerged after Gelsinger's death last fall.
· An inadequate person in a job can lead to a sharp fall in morale or sales.· The first and most striking thing about these figures is the sharp fall which they show.· And unemployment generally brings a sharp fall in income.· There has been a sharp fall in the number of reported rapes involving strangers; these account for 12 % of attacks.· As a result we have seen a sharp fall in the numbers who sleep rough on our streets.· This period has seen a sharp fall in the average rate of growth as compared to the earlier post-war experience.· However, in April there were further sharp falls in the price of shares and the value of the yen.· However, a sharp fall in the dollar would be awkward for the Fed.
· Whether the steep falls of yesterday turn into something more serious remains to be seen.· Separately, shares in forestry companies declined amid forecasts of a steep fall in cellulose prices, analysts said.· The steep fall in interest rates over the past two years has boosted their operating profits enormously.· The latter's performance is attributed to steep falls in smoking.· Two rival companies, Toshiba and Hitachi, saw a steep fall in profits.
NOUN· Clinton, 49, has not sought directly to exploit the age issue in the fall campaign.· Better perhaps to leave these choices to the next president, and encourage further debate in the fall campaign.· They come from states that Clinton carried in 1992, which will again be battlegrounds in the fall campaign.· Cisneros said that he would continue his efforts during the fall campaign to enlist Hispanic support for Clinton.· In fact, the two have staked out their own separate areas of the fall campaign.
· To this end, one of the younger Communist shop stewards in the plot had agreed to be the fall guy.· Beamish, thought Henry, could be the fall guy.
VERB· She, of course, becomes agitated and it's so lovely to watch full ripe bosoms rise and fall!· Tax rates rise and fall, but the individual and the business are always treated differently.· Budget costs would rise further, not fall.· The wind blows through the long grasses and the grass seems to rise and fall in waves.· Whether it rises or falls will naturally affect taxation.· In other words, does Y rise or fall consistently as X rises?
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► fall apart► the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree► the bottom drops/falls out of the market► have a falling-out (with somebody)► fall into line/bring somebody into line► it fell off the back of a lorry► fall off the wagon
1movement down [countable] movement down towards the ground or towards a lower position: - He lost his wife for a time, but after the fall of Troy he got her back.
- It shows the fall in average costs as numbers increase by one additional individual.
- She had a pain in her chest that was not due to the fall, it was fear.
- The fall potential on this wall is greater than the length of the climbs as well!
- The present plan is for Liddy to take the fall for everyone.
- The story of the Garden, therefore, records not only the fall of man, but the fall of language.
- This parliament was also dissolved by decree, and a third Duma was elected and convened in the fall of 1907.
- What is truly disconcerting about the story is the result of the fall, and the divine purpose behind it.
- Jackson's fall from grace came in the fourth game, when he struck out three times in a row.
- And its spectacular fall from grace should serve as a warning.
- But if Mrs Longhill felt better that her servant had fallen from grace in distant Barnswick, then let her think it.
- Even by Washington standards, Gingrich has quickly fallen from grace.
- He had an uncharacteristic fall from grace in his match against Connell.
- Much of his hatred and contempt of Bella must have stemmed from her involvement in Johnny's fall from grace.
- Now, as Pope fell from grace, McClellan came to the fore again.
- That in itself was a sign that Norris' fall from grace had begun.
- The competition was soon simplified with the fall from grace of William Craig.
- Niagara Falls
- Dad always falls asleep in front of the TV after Sunday lunch.
- Has Monica fallen asleep yet?
- Her three-year-old daughter fell asleep while we talked.
- I must have fallen asleep with the light on last night.
- One in seven road accidents is caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.
- Al Gore falls asleep as he makes maiden speech as Vice-President; no-one notices - they're all asleep too.
- Had they fallen asleep, the firemen say, not one of them would have survived.
- He falls asleep in the chair, wakes up startled, afraid for a moment to move.
- He fell asleep dreaming though that Rupert Quashie went to the beach and pushed Collymore down with his gun.
- He seemed to fall asleep, leaning heavily on to Cameron.
- I'd fallen asleep, and now I was awake.
- I fell asleep, and the next thing I knew, some one was waking me.
- Suddenly he gave a frightened start, for he had nearly fallen asleep and the ground below seemed a long distance away.
- As rioting continued, Mayor Warren appealed for calm, but his words fell on deaf ears.
- His pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
- The workers' demand for a wage increase has fallen on deaf ears.
- Their requests fell on deaf ears.
- Arguments that some of the skills practised by pupils are obsolete fall on deaf ears, or are heeded only very slowly.
- But my suggestions fell on deaf ears.
- Invitations by Paredes to the various governors to second his plan fell on deaf ears.
- Pleas that the couple and their two young children will be homeless and facing financial ruin have fallen on deaf ears.
- They formulated a programme of demands, but these fell on deaf ears in Petrograd.
- Those words fell on deaf ears.
- Until Friday, such complaints appeared to fall on deaf ears at the Treasury.
- But the hopes fell flat, and private funding for vaccine work is drying up.
- He has been Navajo president for one year, and his efforts to decentralize tribal government so far have fallen flat.
- However, if your suggestion falls flat, he may not be ready to try another until the 21st century.
- Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
- She fell flat on her face getting out of the car.
- The last time I wore high-heeled shoes I fell flat on my face outside a restaurant.
- As we were going out to the car Babe slipped and fell flat on her face.
- At last, after several near misses, I fall flat on my face.
- Because if you don't a fresh ambition or optimistic plan will fall flat on its face.
- But once the ball tips, the game falls flat on its face faster than a top-ranked team after a first-round upset.
- It is also a nation waiting for her to fall flat on her face.
- Writers strive for a universal experience distilled from personal memories and tend to fall flat on their faces.
- Yet there are certain composers who fall flat on their face unless the adrenalin really start to flow.
- After some ups and downs, young Mr Davison has landed on his feet.
- Even in an industry that shrinks faster than microwave bacon, the good people landed on their feet.
- Forgive the cliché, but for once I have fallen on my feet.
- He pushed the floor, and flipped over in the air, landing on his feet.
- However he landed on his feet.
- Jonathon is a trained musician filling in as a cleaner between jobs and he fell on his feet at the Oxford Playhouse.
- This is a company that tends to land on its feet.
- It wasn't just the usual liaison: the two of them fell head over heels in love.
- Ace, Defries and Bernice fell in a heap.
- Graham never saw what hit him, and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
- Sure enough, the Mean Machine runs the same play again and Budanski collapses in a heap, not breathing.
- The foreigner stumbled on a few steps, his brains leaking out around his earphones, and collapsed in a heap.
- The gallant commander and his horse fell in a heap... the horse dead, the rider unhurt.
- The lion fell in a heap, and she got a steel knee on top of it.
- Who knew when she might collapse in a heap of baubles and bangles?
- And, unknown to her father, I fell hopelessly in love with her.
- I was too afraid of falling hopelessly in love with this protégé of Yukio Mishima, whose marvellous homoerotic poems I translated.
- James Pawsey, the Tory member for Rugby, also appeared to be hopelessly in love.
- She was falling hopelessly in love with the man.
- Even with the former region's history of testing in primaries, children continue to slip through the net.
- Graham, on the other hand, had nearly slipped through the net.
- In a child-centred class of 30 children it is easy for some to slip through the net and learn nothing.
- No one knows how many have slipped through the net.
- One group still fell through the net.
- Paul Merton slipped through the net.
- This one slipped through the net.
- If reforms are not carried out soon, the economy will simply fall to pieces.
- Stacy would fall to pieces if she knew Gary was cheating on her.
- The vase fell to pieces as soon as it hit the floor.
- After he left, I fell to pieces.
- As a result, now that the autumn rains were here, it was already showing signs of falling to pieces.
- He hated playing agony aunt but he couldn't afford to have Hirschfeldt falling to pieces.
- I suppose it's just about falling to pieces.
- Supposing the union fell to pieces, these were the fracture lines along which it would naturally break.
- The house was filthy, she realized, practically falling to pieces.
- The media seemed to be willing the marriage to fall to pieces.
- The Soviet Union is falling to pieces; a bloody struggle for those pieces can not be ruled out.
- Another piece of the jigsaw had just fallen into place.
- But just in time, it fell into place.
- I am like the painter of that mosaic, the small pieces are falling into place and I need your help.
- Mechanisms to ensure gender balance in appointed government bodies were also falling into place.
- That was our greatest moment together, I think, the moment when our whole future fell into place at last.
- The route had by now fallen into place.
- Yet it was not until researchers extended the same effort to the oceans that the bigger tectonic picture fell into place.
- After a convincing win in game 1 Kasparov fell prey to overconfidence, losing games 4 and 5.
- All these animals, and others, had fallen prey to the apprentice hunters.
- It really seems as if some drivers fall prey to a death wish when freezing fog descends.
- Now, once again, the thin reed of refugee protection has fallen prey to the winds of political expediency.
- The magnificent castle was doomed to fall prey to the hand of desolation.
- The older trees grow spindly and, their immune systems weakened, fall prey to infestation of beetles and disease.
- These refugees fell prey to marauding gangs, even to troopers, or to one another.
- With aid supplies almost always out of reach, the boys became weak, and stragglers fell prey to wild animals.
- He seems to be riding for a fall, almost recklessly risk-taking.
- The Warriors were leading, with only a few minutes of the game to go, when the roof fell in.
- It may not be long before the roof falls in.
- The 18th century mansion has fallen into ruin.
- In 1685 the castle was burnt by the Duke of Argyll and fell into ruin.
- Miles of poverty with modern adobe dwellings either being built or falling into ruin.
- Unemployment runs at more than 50 %, and most factories have fallen into ruin.
- It's high time the scales fell from our eyes, and our bathrooms.
- The country's whole economy is coming apart at the seams.
- Anything less than this is a measure of the extent to which the research falls short of scientific standards.
- By 1951 the Labour government had built 900,000 houses, falling short of its target of 240,000 dwellings a year.
- Even in the best of years, Journal news coverage inevitably falls short of perfection.
- On the other hand, if the firm falls short of covering its fixed costs, a loss will be incurred.
- Reality has a way of falling short of the ideal.
- The results fell short of eight analysts' forecasts of profit between 130 million and 127 million pounds.
- The trainers suggest that, as guards, they fell short of expectations.
- But the argument must stand or fall on its merits.
- For the government, acceptance of central planning did not stand or fall on the issue of nationalisation.
- It seems that this is a case that will stand or fall on its own particular facts.
- Mr Karimov knows that he will stand or fall on his ability to stave off economic collapse.
- The school has an outstanding and deserved reputation, which will stand or fall by the testimony of its pupils.
- The storyline was always going to stand or fall by the performance of Tim Guinee as Lazar.
- The success of the new News at Ten will stand or fall on his relationship with the seven million plus viewers.
- Their case would stand or fall on her reliability.
- Instead he fell into step, and they went on from there.
- Once again, Blue falls into step with Black, perhaps even more harmoniously than before.
- She walked to the door, trying her hardest to ignore the man who fell into step beside her.
- The Clinton administration, after some hesitation, fell into step behind Paris.
- The great horse Koulash galloped forward to join the Tsar's horses, and fell into step with them.
- The senator fell into step beside me while some of Bonefish's smaller children followed at a safe distance.
- They fell into step on the slush-covered path.
- Alan's charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
- Joseph's words fell on stony ground.
- Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground, but, as we see in subsequent features, others keep coming.
- Their marriages had fallen on stony ground but it seemed to me there was still hope.
- But do not fall into the trap of doing something I saw recently.
- Don't fall into the trap of comparing your wages and conditions with other volunteers and development workers.
- Duffy refuses to fall into the trap of spoon-feeding the material to passive students, which only increases their passivity.
- During the 90s Washington fell into the trap of allowing events to dictate the relationship, with increasingly destabilising results.
- Journalists can fall into the trap of being hypercritical.
- She was not going to fall into the trap of thinking she wanted Vitor as Vitor.
- So answer this question truthfully, lest your smart organization fall into the trap of continuing to outsmart itself.
- When we tie it to jobs, or to survival needs, we fall into the trap of mechanistic literacy.
- And dying for a drink.The badger falls victim to the drought.
- Bill Vaughan, returned the favor last year after the Baptist church fell victim to arson.
- Don't allow yourself to fall victim to self-fulfilling prophecy.
- Even Jim Harrick fell victim to the mood.
- For one thing, government economic statistics have fallen victim to the fiscal paralysis in Washington.
- Many of you who do use your talents and prosper in the business may fall victim to its pressures.
- Not one has ever fallen victim to a gangland-style hit after coming forward with solid information.
- Numbers of large mammals, including elephants, will have fallen victim to booby traps and land-mines.
- A crossed cheque therefore gives some protection against fraud if it falls into the wrong hands.
- And images of Kurds on tape could fall into the wrong hands.
- But some gun dealers have stopped selling replicas, because they're worried about them falling into the wrong hands.
- Cards falling into the wrong hands cost the industry three hundred pounds every minute.
- I will never allow Kirsty to fall into the wrong hands.
- Pentagon officials say they have already had some success reducing the risk that nuclear materials will fall into the wrong hands.
- Voice over Mr Foulkes is seeking Government safeguards to prevent Rayo from falling into the wrong hands.
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).2reduction [countable] a reduction in the amount, level, price etc of something OPP risefall in There has been a fall in oil prices.sharp/steep fall the sharp fall in the birth rate in European countriesfall of Their industrial output went down again in December, which meant a fall of 2.2% over the year.3season [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.4loss of power/success [singular] a situation in which someone or something loses their position of power or becomes unsuccessfulfall 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).5fall 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.6defeat [singular] a situation in which a country, city etc is defeated by an enemyfall of the fall of Jerusalem in AD707falls (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 Falls8sport [countable] an act of forcing your opponent onto the ground in wrestling or judo9snow/rocks [countable] an amount of snow, rocks etc that falls onto the groundfall of Fresh falls of snow were forecast. The road is blocked by a rock fall.10the Fall (also the fall) the occasion in the Bible when God punished Adam and Eve by making them leave the Garden of EdenGRAMMAR: 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.