Webster's English Dictionary

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fall

1. fall \'fo.l\ \'fel\ \'fo.-l*n or esp in poetry 'fo.ln\ vb or fell;  or 
   fall.en or fall.ing [ME fallen, fr. OE feallan; akin to OHG fallan to fall 
   and pe]rh. to Lith pulti 1a: to descend freely by the force of gravity  1b: 
   to hang freely  1c: to drop oneself to a lower position  1d: to come as if 
   by descending  2: to become born - usu. used of lambs  3a: to become of 
   lower degree or level  3b: to drop in pitch or volume  3c: to become 
   uttered  3d: to become lowered {her eyes fell}  4a: to leave an erect 
   position suddenly and involuntarily  4b: STUMBLE, STRAY  4c: to drop down 
   wounded or dead; esp : to die in battle  4d: to suffer military capture  
   4e: to lose office {the party fell from power}  4f: to suffer ruin, defeat, 
   or failure  5: to commit an immoral act; esp : to lose one's chastity  6a: 
   to move or extend in a downward direction  6b: SUBSIDE, ABATE  6c: to 
   decline in quality, activity, or quantity  6d: to lose weight - used with 
   off or away  6e: to assume a look of shame, disappointment, or dejection  
   7: to decline in financial value or price  8a: to occur at a certain time  
   8b: to come by chance  8c: to come or pass by lot, assignment, or 
   inheritance : DEVOLVE  8d: to have its place or station {the accent ~s on 
   the secon d syllable} 9: to come within the limits, scope, or jurisdiction 
   of something  10: to pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or 
   mind  11: to set about heartily or actively {fell to work}  12: STRIKE, 
   IMPINGE  : FELL  1: to lag behind  2: to be in arrears  : to produce no 
   response or result  1: to fall in love with  2: to become a victim of  1: 
   to have a collision - used chiefly of ships  2: to have a quarrel : CLASH - 
   often used with of  1: to lapse morally : SIN  2: BACKSLIDE  : to curve 
   inward - used of the timbers or upper parts of a ship's side  : to comply 
   with a certain course of action  : to display excessive eagerness  1: to be 
   deficient  2: to fail to attain  - fall behind 
2. fall n 1: the act of falling by the force of gravity  2a: a falling out, 
   off, or away : DROPPING  2b: the season when leaves fall from trees : 
   AUTUMN  2c: a thing or quantity that falls  2d1: BIRTH  2d2: the quantity 
   born - usu. used of lambs  3a: a costume decoration of lace or thin fabric 
   arranged to hang loosely an d gracefully 3b: a very wide turned-down collar 
   worn in the 17th century  3c: the part of a turned-over collar from the 
   crease to the outer edge  3d: a wide front flap on trousers (as those worn 
   by sailors)  3e: the freely hanging lower edge of the skirt of a coat  3f: 
   one of the three outer and often drooping segments of the flower of an  
   iris 4: a hoisting-tackle rope or chain; esp : the part of it to which t he 
   power is applied 5a: loss of greatness : COLLAPSE  5b: the surrender or 
   capture of a besieged place  5c: lapse or departure from innocence or 
   goodness  5d: loss of a woman's chastity  6a: the descent of land or a hill 
   : SLOPE  6b: precipitous descent of water : WATERFALL - usu. used in pl. b 
   ut sing. or pl. in constr. 6c: a musical cadence  6d: a falling-pitch 
   intonation in speech  7: a decrease in size, quantity, or degree; specif : 
   a decrease in  price or value 8a: the distance which something falls  8b: 
   INCLINATION, PITCH  9a: the act of felling  9b: the quantity of trees cut 
   down  9c1: an act of forcing a wrestler's shoulders to the mat  9c2: a bout 
   of wrestling  Scot  10: FORTUNE, LOT 
3. fall aj : of or relating to fall {~ coat}