The difference between Downfall and Fall
When used as nouns, downfall means a precipitous decline in fortune, whereas fall means the act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
When used as verbs, downfall means to fall down, whereas fall means to move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
check bellow for the other definitions of Downfall and Fall
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Downfall as a noun:
A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.
Examples:
"Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire."
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Downfall as a noun:
The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.
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Downfall as a noun:
An act of falling down.
Examples:
"a downfall of rain"
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Downfall as a verb (intransitive):
To fall down; deteriorate; decline.
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Fall as a noun:
The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
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Fall as a noun:
A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.
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Fall as a noun (chiefly, North America, obsolete elsewhere):
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.
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Fall as a noun:
A loss of greatness or status.
Examples:
"the fall of Rome"
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Fall as a noun:
That which falls or cascades.
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Fall as a noun (sport):
A crucial event or circumstance. The action of a batsman being out. A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction. An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat.
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Fall as a noun:
A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss.
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Fall as a noun (informal, US):
Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed.
Examples:
"He set up his rival to take the fall."
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Fall as a noun:
The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural).
Examples:
"Have the goodness to secure the falls of the mizzen halyards."
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Fall as a noun:
See falls
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Fall as a noun:
An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells.
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Fall as a noun:
A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker.
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To be moved downwards. To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity. To come down, to drop or descend. To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself. To be brought to the ground.
Examples:
"Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground."
"The rain fell at dawn."
"He fell to the floor and begged for mercy."
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Fall as a verb (transitive):
To move downwards. To let fall; to drop. To sink; to depress. To fell; to cut down.
Examples:
"to fall the voice"
"to fall a tree"
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To happen, to change negatively. To become. To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); . To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated. To die, especially in battle or by disease. To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.). To become; to be affected by or befallen with a calamity; to change into the state described by words following; to become prostrated literally or figuratively .
Examples:
"She has fallen ill.  nowrap The children fell asleep in the back of the car.  nowrap When did you first fall in love?"
"Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.  nowrap Last year, Commencement fell on June 3."
"Rome fell to the Goths in 410 AD."
"This is a monument to all those who fell in the First World War."
"The candidate's poll ratings fell abruptly after the banking scandal."
"Our senator fell into disrepute because of the banking scandal."
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.
Examples:
"And so it falls to me to make this important decision.  nowrap The estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals."
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Fall as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To diminish; to lessen or lower.
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Fall as a verb (transitive, obsolete):
To bring forth.
Examples:
"to fall lambs"
"rfquotek Shakespeare"
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Fall as a verb (intransitive, obsolete):
To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals.
Examples:
"rfquotek Shakespeare"
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin.
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before.
Examples:
"to fall into error;  to fall into difficulties"
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face.
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon).
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry.
Examples:
"After arguing, they fell to blows."
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Fall as a verb (intransitive):
To be dropped or uttered carelessly.
Examples:
"An unguarded expression fell from his lips."
Compare words:
Compare with synonyms and related words:
- downfall vs fall
- doom vs downfall
- descent vs fall
- drop vs fall
- ascent vs fall
- fall vs rise
- decrease vs fall
- dip vs fall
- drop vs fall
- fall vs lowering
- fall vs reduction
- fall vs increase
- fall vs rise
- autumn vs fall
- fall vs harvest
- back end vs fall
- downfall vs fall
- ascent vs fall
- fall vs rise
- fall vs rap
- drop vs fall
- fall vs plummet
- fall vs plunge
- drop vs fall
- cut down vs fall
- fall vs fell
- fall vs knock down
- fall vs knock over
- fall vs strike down
- fall vs get up
- fall vs pick up
- fall vs stand up
- be up to vs fall
- die vs fall
- dip vs fall
- drop vs fall
- fall vs rise
- become vs fall
- fall vs get
- come down vs fall
- descend vs fall
- drop vs fall
- ascend vs fall
- fall vs go up
- fall vs rise
- beat vs fall
- defeat vs fall
- fall vs overthrow
- fall vs smite
- fall vs vanquish