Meaning & use
free falling
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a nountechnical
Moving downward under gravity alone, with nothing holding it up or slowing it.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: a free-falling stone. After a verb, use the phrase 'free falling': the stone is free falling.
Patterns
- a free-falling object
- free-falling from something
In the experiment, a free-falling ball and a heavy box hit the ground at the same time.
The climber described the terrifying moment of being free-falling before his rope caught him.
adjectivebefore a nounfigurative
Falling quickly and without control, used about prices, sales, or moods.
Grammar: Used mainly before nouns like prices, sales, or numbers: free-falling demand.
Patterns
- free-falling prices
- free-falling sales
The company's free-falling sales forced it to close three stores.
She tried to hide her free-falling confidence after the third rejection.
phrase
The state or action of dropping through the air without any support or control.
Grammar: Used after the verb be or verbs like go: the elevator was free falling; he went free falling.
Patterns
- be free falling
- go free falling
For a few seconds the elevator was free falling, and everyone screamed.
After the parachute failed, he was free falling for almost a minute.
Common combinations
- free-falling prices
- Free-falling prices made it a good time to buy a house.
- free-falling demand
- The factory cut production because of free-falling demand.
- go into free fall
- The market went into free fall after the announcement.
- in free fall
- The currency has been in free fall for weeks.
Synonyms and how they differ
- falling
- Much more general; 'falling' can describe anything moving down, while 'free falling' stresses no support or control.
- plummeting
- Used mainly for prices or numbers dropping very fast; it does not suggest the physical image of gravity.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: free falling or freefall?
free falling vs freefall
Often written as one word in technical and business writing, but the meaning is the same.
Practice
The report described the country's currency as ______ against the dollar.
Choose one answer.
Before a noun we use the adjective form 'free-falling'. 'Free fall' is a noun and would need 'in free fall', and 'freely falling' means falling in a free manner, which is not the fixed expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “free falling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.