What does fall mean?
Few English words carry as much range as 'fall'. At its core, the verb describes downward movement under gravity — leaves, rain, prices, or people all fall — but it extends far beyond physics: stocks fall, empires fall, night falls, and one can fall ill, fall silent, or fall in love, each phrase marking a transition into a new state. As a noun, 'fall' names the act itself, a decline from grace or power, or — uniquely in American English — the season between summer and winter, where British speakers say 'autumn'. The word descends from Old English 'feallan', tied to a Germanic root shared with 'fell' and related verbs of dropping or striking down. Its ubiquity makes it essential vocabulary: whether describing literal descent, metaphorical ruin, or the turning of the year, 'fall' is woven into everyday speech on both sides of the Atlantic.
To move downward, usually rapidly and freely, from a higher to a lower level; more broadly, to decrease, lose position, lapse into a state, or come to pass.
"She stumbled on the icy step and fell heavily."
Common irregular verb: fall / fell / fallen.
An act of dropping or descending; a defeat, downfall, or moral decline; or (chiefly North American) the autumn season.
"The fall of the Berlin Wall marked a turning point in history."
Regular plural; 'falls' also commonly denotes cascades of water (e.g. Niagara Falls).
"Several falls were reported on the ice outside the station."
The word Americans use for 'autumn' — 'fall' — is actually the older English term: it comes from 'fall of the leaf', and Britain simply dropped it in favor of 'autumn' while America kept it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fall
English 'fall' derives from Old English 'feallan', from Proto-Germanic '*fallaną', a root that also gave German 'fallen' and other Germanic verbs meaning to drop or strike down. The noun sense of 'autumn' arose from expressions like 'fall of the leaf' in the 16th–17th centuries; this seasonal usage migrated to America and survived there, while British English settled on 'autumn' (borrowed from French). Related forms include the past tense 'fell' and derivatives such as 'downfall' and 'nightfall'.
Related word forms
How fall is actually used
'Fall' is overwhelmingly common as both verb and noun across English. The seasonal sense as a noun is primarily American ('the fall'); British English uses 'autumn' instead, reserving 'fall' mostly for the verb. Phrases like 'fall ill' or 'fall silent' extend the verb metaphorically to entering a state.
Easily confused with fall
'Fell' is the past tense of 'fall' and also means a moorland or something cut down, whereas 'fall' is the present-tense verb or the noun.