fall · v
fall flat
C1 If an event or joke falls flat, it fails to have the effect that you wanted, such as making people laugh.
Dictionary examples:
All the jokes in his speech fell flat. (33.5)
darkness/night falls
C2 used to say that it is becoming dark
Dictionary examples:
When darkness fell, I began to feel worried. (31.3)
fall (BE DEFEATED)
C2 to be defeated and start to be controlled by a different leader
Dictionary examples:
The city fell to the enemy. (21.3)
fall (BECOME WORSE)
C2 to become worse, or start to be in a bad situation or condition
Dictionary examples:
Education standards are continuing to fall. (27.3)
Empty for 30 years, the building had fallen into ruin. (39.4)
fall (HANG DOWN)
C2 to hang down
Dictionary examples:
Her long hair fell softly over her shoulders. (35.1)
fall on deaf ears
C2 If advice or a request falls on deaf ears, people ignore it.
Dictionary examples:
Our pleas for help fell on deaf ears. (58.3)
fall into place
C2 When events or details that you did not understand before fall into place, they become easy to understand.
Dictionary examples:
When Jo told me she had a twin sister, everything fell into place. (28.7)
fall prey to sth
C2 to be hurt or deceived by something or someone bad
Dictionary examples:
He fell prey to a gang of criminals pretending to be city officials. (69.6)
fall short of sth
C2 to not reach a particular level, but only by a small amount
Dictionary examples:
Sales for the first half of this year fell just short of the target. (30.9)
fall short of sth
C2 to fail to achieve something
Dictionary examples:
She just fell short of the grades she needed. (19.1)
His behavior falls short of what we expect. (24.5)
fall (MOVE DOWN)
A2 to move down toward the ground, sometimes by accident
Dictionary examples:
My pants fell down during my important speech. (0.0)
The clumsy waiter fell and spilled soup on the angry chef. (0.0)
I fell off my unicycle while juggling bananas. (0.0)
He fell and broke his leg. (13.3)
He fell to his death climbing the Matterhorn. (27.3)
The snow had been falling steadily all day. (28.1)
The path's very steep, so be careful you don't fall. (35.3)
By winter, all the leaves had fallen off the trees. (44.7)
I fell down the stairs and injured my back. (54.3)
fall (BECOME LOWER)
B1 to become lower in size, amount or strength
Dictionary examples:
The number of my friends falls every time I ask them to help me move. (0.0)
The quality of my jokes falls every time I open my mouth. (0.0)
My motivation to exercise falls faster than my phone's battery life. (0.0)
The temperature could fall below zero tonight. (16.5)
Average temperatures fell by ten degrees. (17.4)
The quality of his work has fallen during the year. (19.7)
Demand for new cars has fallen recently. (28.5)
The pound has fallen to its lowest-ever level against the dollar. (32.4)
Stock prices fell sharply this week. (37.0)
fall in love
B1 to start to love someone
Dictionary examples:
Tom fell in love with his bed. He just couldn't leave it. (0.0)
The student fell in love with his textbook. It was a chapter of his life. (0.0)
I fell in love with sleep. We're in a long-term relationship now. (0.0)
I was 20 when I first fell in love. (21.7)
fall asleep
B1 to start to sleep
Dictionary examples:
He fell asleep on the bus and woke up in a different city! (0.0)
I always fall asleep during math class, but wake up during recess! (0.0)
I tried not to fall asleep during the meeting, but my boss's voice was like a lullaby. (0.0)
I fell asleep on the sofa watching TV. (64.1)