fɔːl daʊn
neutral
beginner
- Base verb:
- fall
- Particle:
- down
- Separable:
- No
What does "fall down" mean?
- To drop to the ground from a standing position
- To collapse or fail
- To fail or be inadequate in a particular area
Examples
- The little boy fell down and scraped his knee.
- The old building finally fell down after years of neglect.
- Your argument falls down when you consider the evidence.
- She fell down the stairs and broke her arm.
- The plan falls down on the issue of funding.
How to use it
Literal meaning for physical falling. Figurative meaning for arguments or plans that have weak points. 'Where it falls down' identifies a weakness.
Similar expressions
collapse
tumble
fail
drop
Opposites
stand up
rise
succeed
Related phrasal verbs
- fall apart
To break into pieces
- fall behind
To fail to keep up with others or with a schedule
- fall through
To fail to happen or be completed as planned
- fall off
To become detached and drop from something
- fall out
To have an argument and stop being friendly
- fall over
To lose balance and drop to the ground
Use it in a practice answer
Try "fall down" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.