Meaning & use
free fall
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Meanings
noununcountablephysicstechnical
Falling toward the ground under gravity alone, without a parachute open or any support, especially in skydiving.
Grammar: Usually no article, often with in: in free fall.
Patterns
- in free fall
- go into free fall
The skydiver spent forty seconds in free fall before opening the parachute.
Astronauts feel weightless because they are in free fall around Earth.
The camera captured the dive from the start of free fall.
nounsingularfigurative
A fast and uncontrolled decline, especially in prices, value or reputation.
Grammar: Takes a, usually with in: the market was in free fall.
Patterns
- in free fall
- go into free fall
Share prices went into free fall after the announcement.
Her confidence was in free fall after the third loss.
The company's reputation went into free fall.
Word forms
| plural | free falls |
|---|
Common combinations
- in free fall
- The currency was in free fall for a week.
- go into free fall
- Sales went into free fall after the recall.
- a state of free fall
- The team's morale was in a state of free fall.
- free fall dive
- The instructor taught the free fall dive in stages.
- the free fall of prices
- The free fall of prices shocked investors.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plunge
- Plunge stresses a sudden steep drop, while free fall also implies nothing is stopping it.
- nosedive
- Nosedive suggests a sharp downward swoop, often figurative, with less suggestion of total loss of control.
- collapse
- Collapse means falling apart completely, whereas free fall describes the continuing rapid drop.
- slump
- Slump is a decline that is usually milder than a free fall.
Opposites
Word family
- fall verb
- to move downward by gravity
- freefall noun
- an alternative one-word spelling
- free-falling adjective
- dropping fast without support
Commonly confused: free fall or free fell?
free fall vs free fell
Free fell is not a verb; use free fall as a noun, or fell freely.
Practice
After the scandal, the company's share price was in ___.
Choose one answer.
Free fall is the noun for a rapid, uncontrolled drop; the other choices are not standard after in.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “free fall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.