Fall1, v. i.
[imp. FELL; p. p. FALLEN; p. pr. & vb. n. FALLING.] [A-S. feallan, O. H. Ger. fallan, N. H. Ger. fallen, M. H. Ger. & D. vallen, Sw. falla, Dan. falde, allied to Lith. putti.]
Sense 1. To descend from a higher position to a lower, either suddenly or gradually; to drop down; to sink; to make a descent by the force of gravity alone; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Luke x. 18.
Sense 2. To cease to be erect; to become prostrate; to assume suddenly a recumbent posture; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees.
I fell at his feet to worship him. Rev. xix. 10.
Sense 3. To attain a level; to find a final outlet; to empty;—with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.
Sense 4. To become prostrate and dead; to cease to live; to come to destruction; to perish; to vanish.
A thousand shall fall at thy side. Ps. xci. 7.
The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished. Davies.
He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell. Byron.
Sense 5. To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; as, the wind falls.
Sense 6. To issue forth into life; to be brought forth;—said of the young of certain animals.
Sense 7. To decline in power, glory, wealth, or importance; to become insignificant; to decline in weight or value; as, the price falls.
I am a poor fallen man, unworthy now To be thy lord and master. Shak.
Heaven and earth will witness, If Rome must fall, that we are innocent. Addison.
Sense 8. To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from faith or from rectitude.
Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Heb. iv. 11.
Sense 9. To become insnared or embarrassed; to be entrapped; to be worse off than before; as, to fall into error; to fall into difficulties.
Sense 10. To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected;—said of the countenance.
Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Gen. iv. 5.
I have observed of late thy looks are fallen. Addison.
Sense 11. To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively, into a weaker or lower state or circumstances; to become; as, to fall asleep; to fall into temptation.
Sense 12. To happen; to come to pass; to light; to arrive; to befall; to issue; to terminate.
The Romans fell on this model by chance. Swift.
Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall. Ruth iii. 18.
Sadly fell our Christmas eve. Tennyson.
Sense 13. To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence; to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.
The mixed multitude . . . fell a lusting. Num. xi. 4.
Sense 14. To pass or be transferred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.
If to her share some female errors fall, Look in her face, and you'll forget them all. Pope.
Sense 15. To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as, an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur fell from him.
To fall aboard of (Naut.), to strike against;—applied to one vessel coming into collision with another.—To fall among, to come among accidentally or unexpectedly.—To fall astern (Naut.), to move or be driven backward; to recede; as, a ship falls astern by the force of a current, or when outsailed by another.—To fall away. (a.) To lose flesh; to become lean or emaciated; to pine. (b.) To renounce or desert allegiance; to revolt or rebel. (c.) To renounce or desert the faith; to apostatize; to sink into wickedness. “These . . . for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.” Luke viii. 13. (d.) To perish; to be ruined; to be lost. “How can the soul . . . fall away into nothing?” Addison. (e.) To decline gradually; to fade; to languish, or become faint. “One color falls away by just degrees, and another rises insensibly.” Addison.—To fall back. (a.) To recede; to give way. (b.) To fail of performing a promise or purpose; not to fulfill.—To fall calm, to cease to blow; to become calm.—To fall down. (a.) To prostrate one's self in worship. “All kings shall fall down before him.” Ps. lxxii. 11. (b.) To sink; to come to the ground. “Down fell the beauteous youth.” Dryden. (c.) To bend or bow, as a suppliant. (d.) (Naut.) To sail or pass toward the mouth of a river or other outlet.—To fall foul, to attack; to make an assault.—To fall from. (a.) To recede from; to depart; not to adhere; as, to fall from an agreement or engagement. (b.) To depart from allegiance or duty; to revolt.—To fall from grace (Methodism), to sink into vice; to sin; to withdraw from faith or allegiance to duty.—To fall home (Ship Carp.), to curve inward;—said of the timbers or upper parts of a ship's side which are much within a perpendicular. Totten.—To fall in. (a.) To concur; to agree; as, the measure falls in with popular opinion. (b.) To comply; to yield to. “You will find it difficult to persuade learned men to fall in with your projects.” Addison. (c.) To come in; to join; to enter; as, fall into the ranks; fall in on the right.—To fall in with, to meet, as a ship; also, to discover or come near, as land.—To fall off. (a.) To withdraw; to separate; to be broken or detached; as, friends fall off in adversity. “Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide.” Shak. (b.) To perish; to die away; as, words fall off by disuse. (c.) To apostatize; to forsake; to withdraw from the faith, or from allegiance or duty.
Those captive tribes fell off From God to worship calves. Milton.
(d.) To forsake; to abandon; as, his subscribers fell off. (e.) To drop; as, fruits fall off when ripe. (f.) To depreciate; to depart from former excellence; to become less valuable or interesting; as, the magazine or the review falls off. (g.) (Naut.) To deviate or trend to the leeward of the point to which the head of the ship was before directed; to fall to leeward. Totten.—To fall on. (a.) To begin suddenly and eagerly. “Fall on, and try the appetite to eat.” Dryden. (b.) To begin an attack; to assault; to assail. “Fall on, fall on, and hear him not.” Dryden. (c.) To drop on; to descend on.—To fall out. (a.) To quarrel; to begin to contend.
A soul exasperated in its ills falls out With every thing, its friend, itself. Addison.
(b.) To happen; to befall; to chance. “There fell out a bloody quarrel betwixt the frogs and the mice.” L'Estrange.—To fall over. (a.) To revolt; to desert from one side to another. (b.) To fall beyond. Shak.—To fall short, to be deficient; as, the corn falls short; they all fall short in duty.—To fall to. (a.) To begin hastily and eagerly. “Fall to, with eager joy, on homely food.” Dryden. (b.) To apply one's self to; as, he will never after fall to labor. “They fell to raising money, under pretence of the relief of Ireland.” Clarendon.—To fall under. (a.) To come under, or within the limits of; to be subjected to; as, they fell under the jurisdiction of the emperor. (b.) To come under; to become the subject of; as, this point did not fall under the cognizance or deliberations of the court; these things do not fall under human sight or observation. (c.) To come within; to be ranged or reckoned with; as, these substances fall under a different class or order.—To fall upon. (a.) To attack. [See To fall on.] (b.) To attempt. “I do not intend to fall upon nice disquisitions.” Holder. (c.) To rush against.
☞ Fall primarily denotes descending motion, either in a perpendicular or inclined direction, and, in most of its applications, implies, literally or figuratively, velocity, haste, suddenness, or violence. Its use is so various, and so much diversified by modifying words, that it is not easy to enumerate its senses in all its applications.