fall

The word "fall" has several important meanings, and many of them are closely related to the idea of moving downward or changing into a new condition. The most basic meaning is to drop from a higher place to a lower one. Leaves fall from trees, snow falls from the sky, and a person may fall off a bike or fall to the floor after losing balance. In this sense, it can describe both things and people.

From there, the word naturally extends to the idea of becoming lower in amount, level, or strength. Prices fall, temperatures fall, profits fall, and someone's voice may fall at the end of a sentence. As a noun, it can describe that downward movement or decrease: "a fall in income," "a sharp fall in support," or simply "a nasty fall."

"Fall" is also the usual American English word for the season between summer and winter. In many other varieties of English, "autumn" is more common, but both words refer to the same time of year. This meaning is very common in daily life: people talk about fall leaves, fall weather, and fall holidays.

Another major use is for entering a state or situation. People fall asleep, fall in love, fall ill, fall silent, fall apart, fall behind, or fall into trouble. In these cases, the word does not describe literal downward movement, but it still suggests a change that happens to someone or something.

In wider use, "fall" can also mean to be defeated or captured, as in "the city fell," or to happen at a particular time, as in "The meeting falls on Friday." Because it appears in so many common patterns, the best way to understand it is to notice what comes after it and what kind of change the sentence is describing.