Meaning & use
fell
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“fell” is a form of “fall”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Past tense of fall: dropped down to a lower place, or lost balance and ended up on the ground.
Grammar: No object: she fell. Not used in the passive.
Patterns
- fell off something
- fell into something
- fell to the ground
The vase fell off the shelf and smashed.
He slipped on the ice and fell.
Snow fell all night, and by morning the roads were closed.
verblinking
Past tense of fall used for a change of state or situation, such as becoming lower in number, or beginning to be in a condition.
Grammar: Often followed by an adjective or a noun phrase: fell silent, fell ill.
Patterns
- fell silent
- fell asleep
- fell in love with someone
Prices fell sharply after the announcement.
The room fell silent when the principal walked in.
They fell in love during a summer abroad.
verbtransitiveformal
To cut down a tree, or to knock someone or something to the ground with force.
Grammar: Takes an object and is regular: fell, felled, felling.
Patterns
- fell something
- fell someone with something
Workers fell the diseased trees before they could spread infection.
The boxer felled his opponent with a single punch.
The storm felled dozens of old oaks along the road.
Word forms
| base form (cut down) | fell |
|---|---|
| third person singular (cut down) | fells |
| past tense (cut down) | felled |
| -ing form (cut down) | felling |
Common combinations
- fell asleep
- The baby fell asleep in the car.
- fell silent
- Everyone fell silent as the results were read.
- fell ill
- She fell ill the night before the trip.
- fell behind
- He fell behind in his schoolwork during the move.
- fell a tree
- You need a permit to fell a tree in the park.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dropped
- Dropped can describe something let go on purpose, but fell is always unplanned.
- tumbled
- Tumbled suggests a rolling or clumsy fall, usually from a height, where fell is plain and neutral.
- plunged
- Plunged adds speed and steepness, especially for prices or temperatures falling sharply.
- chopped down
- Chopped down is the everyday way to say fell a tree; fell itself sounds more technical or formal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fell or fall? fell or felt?
fell vs fall
Fall is the present tense; fell is the past tense. Say 'I fell yesterday', not 'I fall yesterday'.
fell vs felt
Felt is the past tense of feel and also a type of cloth; it only looks like fell.
Practice
Last winter the temperature ______ to minus twenty overnight.
Choose one answer.
Past time needs the past tense of fall, which is fell. Felled is tempting but means cut down and needs an object.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.