Ask Difference

Fail vs. Fall — What's the Difference?

By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 29, 2024
"Fail" refers to the inability to achieve a desired or intended outcome, often used in contexts of tests, plans, or expectations. "Fall," primarily means to physically drop or descend, often due to gravity, and can also metaphorically describe or decline.
Fail vs. Fall — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Fail and Fall

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Key Differences

When someone fails, it indicates that they have not succeeded in reaching a goal or meeting a standard, such as failing an exam or failing to meet a deadline. On the other hand, when something falls, it physically moves downward, like a person tripping and falling, or leaves falling from a tree in autumn.
Failure is often associated with a lack of success in academic, professional, or personal endeavors and can be a crucial component of learning and development. Whereas, falling can be literal, involving physical movement downward, or it can be used figuratively, such as "falling into despair," representing a decline in emotional or mental state.
The consequences of failing can vary widely, from minor setbacks in daily tasks to significant repercussions in one’s career or life goals. Conversely, falling might result in physical harm or, in metaphorical uses, a decrease in status or function, such as a fall in stock prices.
In educational contexts, failing is a critical metric used to assess students’ comprehension and performance in various subjects. In contrast, the concept of falling can be explored in physical education through activities that teach balance and coordination, or in physics as a part of studying gravity.
While failing is generally viewed negatively, it is often seen as an opportunity for growth and improvement, encouraging individuals to try again with increased knowledge and experience. On the other hand, falling, especially in a figurative sense, might signal a need for change or intervention to reverse a decline.
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Comparison Chart

Definition

Not achieving a desired outcome
Physically dropping or metaphorical decline

Usage Context

Exams, projects, plans
Physical movement, changes in state

Consequences

Setbacks, learning opportunities
Physical injury, decrease in status

Typical Settings

Academic, professional, personal goals
Physical activities, emotional states

Perception

Often negative, but can be constructive
Generally negative, varies with context

Compare with Definitions

Fail

To perform inadequately or below expectations.
She failed the final exam and had to retake the course.

Fall

To move downward rapidly due to gravity.
The ripe apples fall from the tree in late summer.

Fail

To not succeed in achieving a goal.
He failed to win the race despite his best efforts.

Fall

To decrease or decline in value, amount, or quality.
Stock prices fell sharply after the negative earnings report.

Fail

Used in contexts where specific standards or criteria are not met.
The product failed the safety tests and was not released to the market.

Fall

Often indicates a sudden or unexpected descent.
Night falls quickly in the tropics.

Fail

Can lead to growth and development through reflection and learning.
The team learned valuable lessons after failing to meet the project deadline.

Fall

Used both literally (physical descent) and figuratively (decline or decrease).
He fell into a depression after losing his job.

Fail

Often implies a need for improvement or change.
After failing to secure investor support, the startup reevaluated its business plan.

Fall

Can refer to the act of losing balance or stability.
She slipped on ice and fell on her way to the car.

Fail

Be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal
They failed to be ranked in the top ten
He failed in his attempt to secure election

Fall

Move from a higher to a lower level, typically rapidly and without control
My purse fell out of my bag
Bombs could be seen falling from the planes

Fail

Neglect to do something
The firm failed to give adequate risk warnings

Fall

(of a person) lose one's balance and collapse
I felt so dizzy that I fell over
He stumbled, tripped, and fell
She fell down at school today

Fail

Cease to work properly; break down
A lorry whose brakes had failed

Fall

Decrease in number, amount, intensity, or quality
We're worried that standards are falling
Imports fell by 12 per cent

Fail

A mark which is not high enough to pass an examination or test
A fail grade

Fall

Be captured or defeated
Their mountain strongholds fell to enemy attack

Fail

A mistake, failure, or instance of poor performance
His first product demo was full of fail
Their customer service is a massive fail

Fall

Pass into a specified state, situation, or position
She fell pregnant
Many of the buildings fell into disrepair

Fail

To prove deficient or lacking; perform ineffectively or inadequately
Failed to fulfill their promises.
Failed in their attempt to reach the summit.

Fall

An act of falling or collapsing
His mother had a fall as she alighted from a train

Fail

To be unsuccessful
An experiment that failed.

Fall

A thing which falls or has fallen
In October came the first fall of snow
A rock fall

Fail

To be unsuccessful in being acted upon
An idea that failed to be accepted by the board.

Fall

A decrease in size, number, rate, or level
A big fall in unemployment

Fail

To receive an academic grade below the acceptable minimum.

Fall

A defeat or downfall
The fall of the government

Fail

To prove insufficient in quantity or duration; give out
The water supply failed during the drought.

Fall

Autumn
That fall Roosevelt was elected to his first term

Fail

To decline, as in strength or effectiveness
The light began to fail.

Fall

A flock of woodcock
There is a fall of woodcock in the round wood above the dell

Fail

To cease functioning properly
The engine failed.

Fall

To drop or come down freely under the influence of gravity
Leaves fell from the tree.

Fail

To give way or be made otherwise useless as a result of excessive strain
The rusted girders failed and caused the bridge to collapse.

Fall

To drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
I fell back in my chair. The pilgrims fell to their knees.

Fail

To become bankrupt or insolvent
Their business failed during the last recession.

Fall

To lose an upright or erect position suddenly
Tripped and fell.

Fail

To disappoint or prove undependable to
Our sentries failed us.

Fall

To drop wounded or dead, especially in battle.

Fail

To abandon; forsake
His strength failed him.

Fall

To hang down
The child's hair fell in ringlets.

Fail

To omit to perform (an expected duty, for example)
We must not fail our obligation to the earthquake victims.

Fall

To be cast down
Her eyes fell.

Fail

To leave undone; neglect
Failed to wash the dishes.

Fall

To be directed toward or come into contact; rest
My gaze fell upon the letter. The light fell on my book.

Fail

To receive an academic grade below the acceptable minimum in (a course, for example)
Failed algebra twice.

Fall

To come into existence or occur as if by falling
A plague fell on the town. Night fell quickly.

Fail

To give such a grade of failure to (a student)
Failed me in algebra.

Fall

To occur at a specified time or place
The holiday falls on a Thursday. The stress falls on the last syllable.

Fail

To be detected by (a drug test) as having used a banned substance.

Fall

To be removed as if by falling
All grief fell from our hearts.

Fail

A failing grade
The student received a fail on the final paper.

Fall

To come forth as if by falling; issue
Did any thanks fall from their lips?.

Fail

(Informal) Something that does not achieve the desired result; a failure
My first attempt to make flourless cookies was a big fail.

Fall

To assume an expression of consternation or disappointment
His face fell when he heard the report.

Fail

(intransitive) To be unsuccessful.
Throughout my life, I have always failed.

Fall

To undergo conquest or capture, especially as the result of an armed attack
The city fell after a long siege.

Fail

(transitive) Not to achieve a particular stated goal. (Usage note: The direct object of this word is usually an infinitive.)
The truck failed to start.

Fall

To experience defeat or ruin
The home team fell to the visitors. After 300 years the dynasty fell.

Fail

(transitive) To neglect.
The report fails to take into account all the mitigating factors.

Fall

To lose office
The disgraced prime minister fell from power.

Fail

(intransitive) Of a machine, etc.: to cease to operate correctly.
After running five minutes, the engine failed.

Fall

To move downward to a lower level; be reduced
The tide fell.

Fail

(transitive) To be wanting to, to be insufficient for, to disappoint, to desert; to disappoint one's expectations.

Fall

To slope downward
The land falls gently toward the sea.

Fail

(ambitransitive) To receive one or more non-passing grades in academic pursuits.
I failed English last year.

Fall

To become less in amount or degree
The air pressure is falling.

Fail

(transitive) To give a student a non-passing grade in an academic endeavour.
The professor failed me because I did not complete any of the course assignments.

Fall

To diminish in pitch or volume
My friend's voice fell to a whisper.

Fail

To miss attaining; to lose.

Fall

To decline in financial value
Last year, stocks fell sharply.

Fail

To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence.
The crops failed last year.

Fall

To give into temptation; suffer a moral lapse.

Fail

(archaic) To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; used with of.

Fall

(Theology) To lose primordial innocence and happiness. Used of humanity as a result of the Fall.

Fail

(archaic) To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.

Fall

To pass into a particular state, condition, or situation
Fell silent.
Fall in love.

Fail

(archaic) To deteriorate in respect to vigour, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker.
A sick man fails.

Fall

To come, as by chance
Fell among a band of thieves.

Fail

(obsolete) To perish; to die; used of a person.

Fall

To be given by assignment or distribution
The greatest task fell to me.

Fail

(obsolete) To err in judgment; to be mistaken.

Fall

To be given by right or inheritance.

Fail

To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent.

Fall

To be included within the range or scope of something
The specimens fall into three categories.

Fail

(slang) A failure condition of being unsuccessful.

Fall

To apply oneself
Fell to work immediately.

Fail

A failure something incapable of success.

Fall

To be born. Used chiefly of lambs.

Fail

A failure, especially of a financial transaction a termination of an action.

Fall

To cut down (a tree); fell.

Fail

A failing grade in an academic examination.

Fall

The act or an instance of falling.

Fail

Poor quality; substandard workmanship.
The project was full of fail.

Fall

A sudden drop from a relatively erect to a less erect position.

Fail

A piece of turf cut from grassland.

Fall

Something that has fallen
A fall of snow.

Fail

Unsuccessful; inadequate; unacceptable in some way.

Fall

An amount that has fallen
A fall of two inches of rain.

Fail

To be wanting; to fall short; to be or become deficient in any measure or degree up to total absence; to cease to be furnished in the usual or expected manner, or to be altogether cut off from supply; to be lacking; as, streams fail; crops fail.
As the waters fail from the sea.
Till Lionel's issue fails, his should not reign.

Fall

The distance that something falls
The victim suffered a fall of three stories to the ground.

Fail

To be affected with want; to come short; to lack; to be deficient or unprovided; - used with of.
If ever they fail of beauty, this failure is not be attributed to their size.

Fall

Autumn.

Fail

To fall away; to become diminished; to decline; to decay; to sink.
When earnestly they seekSuch proof, conclude they then begin to fail.

Fall

Falls(used with a sing. or pl. verb) A waterfall.

Fail

To deteriorate in respect to vigor, activity, resources, etc.; to become weaker; as, a sick man fails.

Fall

A downward movement or slope.

Fail

To perish; to die; - used of a person.
Had the king in his last sickness failed.

Fall

A veil hung from a hat and down the wearer's back.

Fail

To be found wanting with respect to an action or a duty to be performed, a result to be secured, etc.; to miss; not to fulfill expectation.
Take heed now that ye fail not to do this.
Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.

Fall

An ornamental cascade of lace or trimming attached to a dress, usually at the collar.

Fail

To come short of a result or object aimed at or desired ; to be baffled or frusrated.
Our envious foe hath failed.

Fall

A hairpiece with long, free-hanging hair.

Fail

To err in judgment; to be mistaken.
Which ofttimes may succeed, so as perhapsShall grieve him, if I fail not.

Fall

An overthrow; a collapse
The fall of a government.

Fail

To become unable to meet one's engagements; especially, to be unable to pay one's debts or discharge one's business obligation; to become bankrupt or insolvent; as, many credit unions failed in the late 1980's.

Fall

Armed capture of a place under siege
The fall of Troy.

Fail

To be wanting to ; to be insufficient for; to disappoint; to desert.
There shall not fail thee a man on the throne.

Fall

A reduction in value, amount, or degree
A fall in housing prices.

Fail

To miss of attaining; to lose.
Though that seat of earthly bliss be failed.

Fall

A marked, often sudden, decline in status, rank, or importance
His fall from power.

Fail

Miscarriage; failure; deficiency; fault; - mostly superseded by failure or failing, except in the phrase without fail.

Fall

A moral lapse.

Fail

Death; decease.

Fall

Often Fall(Theology)The loss of humanity's original innocence and happiness resulting from Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.

Fail

Fail to do something; leave something undone;
She failed to notice that her child was no longer in his crib
The secretary failed to call the customer and the company lost the account

Fall

The act of holding a wrestling opponent on the opponent's back so that the shoulders remain in contact with the mat for a designated period, usually one or two seconds, thereby winning the match. Also called pin.

Fail

Be unsuccessful;
Where do today's public schools fail?
The attempt to rescue the hostages failed miserably

Fall

Any of various wrestling maneuvers resulting in such an act.

Fail

Disappoint, prove undependable to; abandon, forsake;
His sense of smell failed him this time
His strength finally failed him
His children failed him in the crisis

Fall

A break or rise in the level of a deck.

Fail

Stop operating or functioning;
The engine finally went
The car died on the road
The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town
The coffee maker broke
The engine failed on the way to town
Her eyesight went after the accident

Fall

Falls The apparatus used to hoist and transfer cargo or lifeboats.

Fail

Be unable;
I fail to understand your motives

Fall

The end of a cable, rope, or chain that is pulled by the power source in hoisting.

Fail

Judge unacceptable;
The teacher failed six students

Fall

The birth of an animal, especially a lamb.

Fail

Fail to get a passing grade;
She studied hard but failed nevertheless
Did I fail the test?

Fall

All the animals born at one birth; a litter.

Fail

Fall short in what is expected;
She failed in her obligations as a good daughter-in-law
We must not fail his obligation to the victims of the Holocaust

Fall

A family of woodcock in flight.

Fail

Become bankrupt or insolvent; fail financially and close;
The toy company went bankrupt after the competition hired cheap Mexican labor
A number of banks failed that year

Fall

(Botany) One of the outer, drooping segments of a flower, especially an iris.

Fail

Prove insufficient;
The water supply for the town failed after a long drought

Fall

Of, having to do with, occurring in, or appropriate to the season of fall
Fall fashion.
Fall harvests.

Fail

Get worse;
Her health is declining

Fall

Grown during the season of fall
Fall crops.

Fall

To be moved downwards.

Fall

To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground.

Fall

To come down, to drop or descend.
The rain fell at dawn.

Fall

To come as if by dropping down.

Fall

To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself.
He fell to the floor and begged for mercy.

Fall

To be brought to the ground.

Fall

(transitive) To move downwards.

Fall

(obsolete) To let fall; to drop.

Fall

(obsolete) To sink; to depress.
To fall the voice

Fall

To fell; to cut down.
To fall a tree

Fall

(intransitive) To change, often negatively.

Fall

To become.
She has fallen ill.
The children fell asleep in the back of the car.
When did you first fall in love?
Fall silent, fall sick, fall pregnant, fall victim to something

Fall

(intransitive) To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated.
Rome fell to the Goths in 410 AD.

Fall

To die, especially in battle or by disease.
This is a monument to all those who fell in the First World War.

Fall

(intransitive) To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.).
The candidate's poll ratings fell abruptly after the banking scandal.

Fall

To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); to happen.
Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.
Last year, Commencement fell on June 3.

Fall

(intransitive) To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.
And so it falls to me to make this important decision.
The estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.

Fall

To diminish; to lessen or lower.

Fall

To bring forth.
To fall lambs

Fall

To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals.

Fall

(intransitive) To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin.

Fall

(intransitive) To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before.
To fall into error;
To fall into difficulties

Fall

(intransitive) To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face.

Fall

(intransitive) To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon).

Fall

(intransitive) To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry.
After arguing, they fell to blows.

Fall

(intransitive) To be dropped or uttered carelessly.
An unguarded expression fell from his lips.

Fall

To hang down under the influence of gravity.
An Empire-style dress has a high waistline – directly under the bust – from which the dress falls all the way to a hem as low as the floor.

Fall

The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

Fall

A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.

Fall

The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.

Fall

A loss of greatness or status.
The fall of Rome

Fall

That which falls or cascades.

Fall

(sport) A crucial event or circumstance.

Fall

The action of a batsman being out.

Fall

(curling) A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction.

Fall

(wrestling) An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat.

Fall

A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss.

Fall

Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed.
He set up his rival to take the fall.

Fall

(nautical) The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural).
Have the goodness to secure the falls of the mizzen halyards.

Fall

An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells.

Fall

A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker.

Fall

The lid, on a piano, that covers the keyboard

Fall

(nautical) The chasing of a hunted whale.

Fall

(nautical) The cry given when a whale is sighted, or harpooned.

Fall

To Descend, either suddenly or gradually; particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Fall

To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees.
I fell at his feet to worship him.

Fall

To find a final outlet; to discharge its waters; to empty; - with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.

Fall

To become prostrate and dead; to die; especially, to die by violence, as in battle.
A thousand shall fall at thy side.
He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell.

Fall

To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the wind falls.

Fall

To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; - said of the young of certain animals.

Fall

To decline in power, glory, wealth, or importance; to become insignificant; to lose rank or position; to decline in weight, value, price etc.; to become less; as, the price falls; stocks fell two points.
I am a poor fallen man, unworthy nowTo be thy lord and master.
The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished.

Fall

To be overthrown or captured; to be destroyed.
Heaven and earth will witness,If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.

Fall

To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from the faith; to apostatize; to sin.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Fall

To become insnared or embarrassed; to be entrapped; to be worse off than before; as, to fall into error; to fall into difficulties.

Fall

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.
I have observed of late thy looks are fallen.

Fall

To sink; to languish; to become feeble or faint; as, our spirits rise and fall with our fortunes.

Fall

To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively, into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall asleep; to fall into a passion; to fall in love; to fall into temptation.

Fall

To happen; to to come to pass; to light; to befall; to issue; to terminate.
The Romans fell on this model by chance.
Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.
They do not make laws, they fall into customs.

Fall

To come; to occur; to arrive.
The vernal equinox, which at the Nicene Council fell on the 21st of March, falls now [1694] about ten days sooner.

Fall

To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence; to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.
They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul.

Fall

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.

Fall

To belong or appertain.
If to her share some female errors fall,Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.

Fall

To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as, an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur fell from him.
Those captive tribes . . . fell offFrom God to worship calves.
A soul exasperated in ills falls outWith everything, its friend, itself.

Fall

To let fall; to drop.
For every tear he falls, a Trojan bleeds.

Fall

To sink; to depress; as, to fall the voice.

Fall

To diminish; to lessen or lower.
Upon lessening interest to four per cent, you fall the price of your native commodities.

Fall

To bring forth; as, to fall lambs.

Fall

To fell; to cut down; as, to fall a tree.

Fall

The act of falling; a dropping or descending be the force of gravity; descent; as, a fall from a horse, or from the yard of ship.

Fall

The act of dropping or tumbling from an erect posture; as, he was walking on ice, and had a fall.

Fall

Death; destruction; overthrow; ruin.
They thy fall conspire.
Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Fall

Downfall; degradation; loss of greatness or office; termination of greatness, power, or dominion; ruin; overthrow; as, the fall of the Roman empire.
Beholds thee glorious only in thy fall.

Fall

The surrender of a besieged fortress or town ; as, the fall of Sebastopol.

Fall

Diminution or decrease in price or value; depreciation; as, the fall of prices; the fall of rents.

Fall

A sinking of tone; cadence; as, the fall of the voice at the close of a sentence.

Fall

Declivity; the descent of land or a hill; a slope.

Fall

Descent of water; a cascade; a cataract; a rush of water down a precipice or steep; - usually in the plural, sometimes in the singular; as, the falls of Niagara.

Fall

The discharge of a river or current of water into the ocean, or into a lake or pond; as, the fall of the Po into the Gulf of Venice.

Fall

Extent of descent; the distance which anything falls; as, the water of a stream has a fall of five feet.

Fall

The season when leaves fall from trees; autumn.
What crowds of patients the town doctor kills,Or how, last fall, he raised the weekly bills.

Fall

That which falls; a falling; as, a fall of rain; a heavy fall of snow.

Fall

The act of felling or cutting down.

Fall

Lapse or declension from innocence or goodness. Specifically: The first apostasy; the act of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit; also, the apostasy of the rebellious angels.

Fall

Formerly, a kind of ruff or band for the neck; a falling band; a faule.

Fall

That part (as one of the ropes) of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.

Fall

The season when the leaves fall from the trees;
In the fall of 1973

Fall

A sudden drop from an upright position;
He had a nasty spill on the ice

Fall

The lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve;
Women have been blamed ever since the Fall

Fall

A downward slope or bend

Fall

A lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity;
A fall from virtue

Fall

A sudden decline in strength or number or importance;
The fall of the House of Hapsburg

Fall

A movement downward;
The rise and fall of the tides

Fall

The act of surrendering (under agreed conditions);
They were protected until the capitulation of the fort

Fall

The time of day immediately following sunset;
He loved the twilight
They finished before the fall of night

Fall

When a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat

Fall

A free and rapid descent by the force of gravity;
It was a miracle that he survived the drop from that height

Fall

A sudden sharp decrease in some quantity;
A drop of 57 points on the Dow Jones index
There was a drop in pressure in the pulmonary artery
A dip in prices
When that became known the price of their stock went into free fall

Fall

Descend in free fall under the influence of gravity;
The branch fell from the tree
The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse

Fall

Move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way;
The temperature is going down
The barometer is falling
The curtain fell on the diva
Her hand went up and then fell again

Fall

Pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind;
Fall into a trap
She fell ill
They fell out of favor
Fall in love
Fall asleep
Fall prey to an imposter
Fall into a strange way of thinking
She fell to pieces after she lost her work

Fall

Come under, be classified or included;
Fall into a category
This comes under a new heading

Fall

Fall from clouds;
Rain, snow and sleet were falling
Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum

Fall

Suffer defeat, failure, or ruin;
We must stand or fall
Fall by the wayside

Fall

Decrease in size, extent, or range;
The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester
The cabin pressure fell dramatically
Her weight fall to under a hundred pounds
His voice fell to a whisper

Fall

Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly;
Light fell on her face
The sun shone on the fields
The light struck the golden necklace
A strange sound struck my ears

Fall

Be captured;
The cities fell to the enemy

Fall

Occur at a specified time or place;
Christmas falls on a Monday this year
The accent falls on the first syllable

Fall

Yield to temptation or sin;
Adam and Eve fell

Fall

Lose office or power;
The government fell overnight
The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen

Fall

To be given by assignment or distribution;
The most difficult task fell on the youngest member of the team
The onus fell on us
The pressure to succeed fell on the yougest student

Fall

Move in a specified direction;
The line of men fall forward

Fall

Be due;
Payments fall on the 1st of the month

Fall

Lose one's chastity;
A fallen woman

Fall

To be given by right or inheritance;
The estate fell to the oldest daughter

Fall

Come into the possession of;
The house accrued to the oldest son

Fall

Fall to somebody by assignment or lot;
The task fell to me
It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims

Fall

Be inherited by;
The estate fell to my sister
The land returned to the family
The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead

Fall

Slope downward;
The hills around here fall towards the ocean

Fall

Lose an upright position suddenly;
The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table
Her hair fell across her forehead

Fall

Drop oneself to a lower or less erect position;
She fell back in her chair
He fell to his knees

Fall

Fall or flow in a certain way;
This dress hangs well
Her long black hair flowed down her back

Fall

Assume a disappointed or sad expression;
Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off
His crest fell

Fall

Be cast down;
His eyes fell

Fall

Come out; issue;
Silly phrases fell from her mouth

Fall

Be born, used chiefly of lambs;
The lambs fell in the afternoon

Fall

Begin vigorously;
The prisoners fell to work right away

Fall

Go as if by falling;
Grief fell from our hearts

Fall

Come as if by falling;
Night fell
Silence fell

Common Curiosities

What is the main difference between failing and falling?

Failing is about not meeting set standards or expectations, while falling involves physical or metaphorical descent.

How can I recover from a fall or a fail?

Recovery often involves understanding the reasons behind the fall or fail, learning from the experience, and making necessary adjustments or preparations for future efforts.

Is it possible to fail without making a mistake?

Yes, sometimes external factors beyond one's control can lead to failure.

How can falling be prevented in elderly individuals?

Through strength and balance training, making living spaces safer, and regular health check-ups.

What does "fall from grace" mean?

It refers to a sudden and dramatic decrease in status, respect, or prestige.

Can failing lead to falling in any context?

Yes, metaphorically speaking, failing can lead to a fall in status, reputation, or confidence.

What physical laws govern falling?

The law of gravity primarily governs physical falling, where every object with mass attracts every other object with mass.

What strategies can schools implement to help students who fail?

Schools can offer remedial classes, tutoring, and more personalized learning plans to help students overcome their academic challenges.

How do metaphoric falls influence literature?

Metaphoric falls are often used in literature to symbolize personal, moral, or social decline, adding depth to narratives and character development.

What are preventative measures for failing a project?

Thorough planning, proactive risk management, and regular progress reviews can help in preventing project failures.

What are common reasons for failing in a professional context?

Common reasons include lack of preparation, inadequate resources, or misaligned goals.

How can the experience of failing be used constructively?

By analyzing what went wrong, applying the learned lessons to future endeavors, and using the experience to motivate further efforts.

How can technology help in preventing falls among the elderly?

Technology can offer solutions like wearable devices that detect falls in real time, improving emergency response times and potentially saving lives.

Can falling ever be positive?

Yes, falling prices can benefit consumers, and falling into new experiences can lead to personal growth.

Why do objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum?

In a vacuum, where there is no air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate regardless of their mass, due to the uniform acceleration caused by gravity.

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Written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

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