Freefall

//ˈfɹiːˌfɔːl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A state of motion affected by no acceleration or force other than that of gravity. uncountable
2
As above, but allowing for the presence of incidental air resistance not caused intentionally by devices like parachutes or wings. uncountable
3
The state of worsening out of control. broadly, uncountable
"As civil war continues in Iraq, the U.S. president's approval ratings are in freefall."

Verb

1
To drop in a state of freefall. intransitive
"A base jumper attempts to freefall for as long as possible before triggering the parachute."

Example

"As civil war continues in Iraq, the U.S. president's approval ratings are in freefall."

Etymology

From free + fall.

Related phrases

accelerated free fall acceleration of free fall free-fall style free-fall time free-falling in freefall progressive free fall universality of free fall air resistance out of control

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.