1 [count] : the act of falling: such as a : the act of coming or going down from a high position or from a standing position
▪ a fall from a horse ▪ She's had/suffered several bad falls in recent years. ▪ a fall of three feet ▪ He slipped on the ice and hurt his hand when he tried to break his fall. [=to stop himself from falling]
b : the act of becoming lower
▪ the rise and fall of the tide 2 US : the season between summer and winter : the season when leaves fall from trees : autumn [count] ▪ She went off to college in the fall. ▪ an unusually warm fall [noncount] ▪ in early/late fall ▪ Several weeks of fall remain before winter begins. ▪ When fall came he planted grass. — often used before another noun ▪ our fall catalog ▪ a new fall coat ▪ fall colors/foliage ▪ the fall harvest 3 [count] : a decrease in the size, amount, degree, activity, or value of something
▪ a fall in the price of oil 4 a [singular] : loss of power or greatness
▪ the rise and fall [=collapse] of an empire
b [singular] : the surrender or capture of a place that is being attacked
▪ the fall of Troy ▪ The fall of the fort caused the local civilians to flee.
c [singular] : loss of innocence or goodness
▪ a fall from virtue
d the Fall : the event in the Bible when Adam and Eve are forced to leave the Garden of Eden because they have sinned against God
▪ after the Fall 5 [count] : an area on a river or stream where water runs steeply downward — usually plural ▪ Bears hunted for fish in the rocky falls. [=waterfall] ▪ Niagara Falls