Autumn vs. Fall: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Autumn and Fall are synonymous, both referring to the season between summer and winter. "Autumn" is more common in British English, while "Fall" is predominantly used in American English.
Key Differences
Autumn, derived from the Latin word "autumnus," is commonly used in British English. It evokes a sense of the gradual onset of the season. Fall, originating from the Old English "feallan" (to fall), is used primarily in American English and refers to the falling of leaves during this time.
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Nov 15, 2023
Autumn is often used in literature to symbolize maturity or the twilight years of life. Fall, with its direct reference to falling leaves, is typically associated with a sense of change or transition.
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Nov 15, 2023
The word Autumn conjures images of gradual change, milder temperatures, and the harvest season. Fall, in contrast, often brings to mind a quicker transition, the dropping of leaves, and preparation for winter.
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Nov 15, 2023
In English-speaking countries other than the United States, Autumn is the more commonly used term. Fall, while understood, is distinctly American and is rarely used elsewhere.
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Nov 15, 2023
In contemporary language, both terms are interchangeable with no difference in meaning. Autumn might be perceived as more formal or poetic, while Fall is more colloquial.
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Nov 15, 2023
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Comparison Chart
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Autumn and Fall Definitions
Autumn
A time of fullness or fruition.
The autumn of their relationship was marked by deep understanding.
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Fall
A decline or decrease in strength, amount, or quality.
The company experienced a fall in profits this quarter.
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Autumn
A term used in poetry to evoke a sense of change and transformation.
In the autumn of the year, the sun sets earlier, bringing cooler nights.
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Fall
To suddenly drop or come down from a higher to a lower level.
She watched the ripe apple fall from the tree.
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Autumn
A late stage or period in the life of something.
In the autumn of his life, he reflected on his youthful adventures.
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Fall
A reduction in status, esteem, or rank.
His dishonest actions led to his fall from grace.
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Autumn
The season of the year between summer and winter, during which temperatures gradually decrease.
The forest is breathtaking in autumn with its array of red and gold leaves.
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Fall
To occur or take place, especially as something significant.
The festival will fall in the last week of October.
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Autumn
The season of the year between summer and winter, during which the weather becomes cooler and many plants become dormant, extending in the Northern Hemisphere from the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice and popularly considered to include the months of September, October, and November; fall. In the Southern Hemisphere autumn includes March, April, and May.
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Fall
To drop or come down freely under the influence of gravity
Leaves fell from the tree.
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Fall
To drop oneself to a lower or less erect position
I fell back in my chair. The pilgrims fell to their knees.
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Autumn
Traditionally the third of the four seasons, when deciduous trees lose their leaves; typically regarded as being from September 24 to December 22 in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, and the months of March, April and May in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Autumn
(fashion) A person with relatively dark hair and a warm skin tone, seen as best suited to certain colours in clothing.
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Fall
To be directed toward or come into contact; rest
My gaze fell upon the letter. The light fell on my book.
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Fall
To come into existence or occur as if by falling
A plague fell on the town. Night fell quickly.
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Fall
To occur at a specified time or place
The holiday falls on a Thursday. The stress falls on the last syllable.
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Autumn
To undergo the changes associated with autumn, such as leaves changing color and falling from trees.
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Autumn
The third season of the year, or the season between summer and winter, often called "the fall." Astronomically, it begins in the northern temperate zone at the autumnal equinox, about September 23, and ends at the winter solstice, about December 23; but in popular language, autumn, in America, comprises September, October, and November.
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Fall
To come forth as if by falling; issue
Did any thanks fall from their lips?.
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Fall
To assume an expression of consternation or disappointment
His face fell when he heard the report.
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Autumn
The time of maturity or decline; latter portion; third stage.
Dr. Preston was now entering into the autumn of the duke's favor.
Life's autumn past, I stand on winter's verge.
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Fall
To undergo conquest or capture, especially as the result of an armed attack
The city fell after a long siege.
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Fall
To experience defeat or ruin
The home team fell to the visitors. After 300 years the dynasty fell.
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Autumn
A period of maturity or incipient decline.
Her career was in its autumn, yet she continued to innovate.
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Fall
(Theology) To lose primordial innocence and happiness. Used of humanity as a result of the Fall.
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Fall
To pass into a particular state, condition, or situation
Fell silent.
Fall in love.
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Fall
To be given by assignment or distribution
The greatest task fell to me.
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Fall
To be included within the range or scope of something
The specimens fall into three categories.
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Fall
The distance that something falls
The victim suffered a fall of three stories to the ground.
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Fall
An ornamental cascade of lace or trimming attached to a dress, usually at the collar.
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Fall
A marked, often sudden, decline in status, rank, or importance
His fall from power.
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Fall
Often Fall(Theology)The loss of humanity's original innocence and happiness resulting from Adam and Eve's eating of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
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Fall
The act of holding a wrestling opponent on the opponent's back so that the shoulders remain in contact with the mat for a designated period, usually one or two seconds, thereby winning the match. Also called pin.
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Fall
The end of a cable, rope, or chain that is pulled by the power source in hoisting.
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Fall
(Botany) One of the outer, drooping segments of a flower, especially an iris.
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Fall
Of, having to do with, occurring in, or appropriate to the season of fall
Fall fashion.
Fall harvests.
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Fall
To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.
Thrown from a cliff, the stone fell 100 feet before hitting the ground.
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Fall
To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself.
He fell to the floor and begged for mercy.
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Fall
To become.
She has fallen ill.
The children fell asleep in the back of the car.
When did you first fall in love?
Fall silent, fall sick, fall pregnant, fall victim to something
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Fall
(intransitive) To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated.
Rome fell to the Goths in 410 AD.
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Fall
To die, especially in battle or by disease.
This is a monument to all those who fell in the First World War.
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Fall
(intransitive) To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.).
The candidate's poll ratings fell abruptly after the banking scandal.
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Fall
To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); to happen.
Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.
Last year, Commencement fell on June 3.
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Fall
(intransitive) To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.
And so it falls to me to make this important decision.
The estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.
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Fall
To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals.
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Fall
(intransitive) To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin.
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Fall
(intransitive) To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before.
To fall into error;
To fall into difficulties
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Fall
(intransitive) To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face.
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Fall
(intransitive) To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry.
After arguing, they fell to blows.
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Fall
(intransitive) To be dropped or uttered carelessly.
An unguarded expression fell from his lips.
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Fall
To hang down under the influence of gravity.
An Empire-style dress has a high waistline – directly under the bust – from which the dress falls all the way to a hem as low as the floor.
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Fall
The time of the year when the leaves typically fall from the trees; autumn; the season of the year between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice.
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Fall
(curling) A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction.
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Fall
A hairpiece for women consisting of long strands of hair on a woven backing, intended primarily to cover hair loss.
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Fall
Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed.
He set up his rival to take the fall.
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Fall
(nautical) The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting (usu. plural).
Have the goodness to secure the falls of the mizzen halyards.
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Fall
A short, flexible piece of leather forming part of a bullwhip, placed between the thong and the cracker.
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Fall
To Descend, either suddenly or gradually; particularly, to descend by the force of gravity; to drop; to sink; as, the apple falls; the tide falls; the mercury falls in the barometer.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
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Fall
To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate; to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper falls on his knees.
I fell at his feet to worship him.
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Fall
To find a final outlet; to discharge its waters; to empty; - with into; as, the river Rhone falls into the Mediterranean.
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Fall
To become prostrate and dead; to die; especially, to die by violence, as in battle.
A thousand shall fall at thy side.
He rushed into the field, and, foremost fighting, fell.
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Fall
To cease to be active or strong; to die away; to lose strength; to subside; to become less intense; as, the wind falls.
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Fall
To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; - said of the young of certain animals.
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Fall
To decline in power, glory, wealth, or importance; to become insignificant; to lose rank or position; to decline in weight, value, price etc.; to become less; as, the price falls; stocks fell two points.
I am a poor fallen man, unworthy nowTo be thy lord and master.
The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished.
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Fall
To be overthrown or captured; to be destroyed.
Heaven and earth will witness,If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.
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Fall
To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin; to depart from the faith; to apostatize; to sin.
Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
To become insnared or embarrassed; to be entrapped; to be worse off than before; as, to fall into error; to fall into difficulties.
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Fall
To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; - said of the countenance.
Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
I have observed of late thy looks are fallen.
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Fall
To sink; to languish; to become feeble or faint; as, our spirits rise and fall with our fortunes.
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Fall
To pass somewhat suddenly, and passively, into a new state of body or mind; to become; as, to fall asleep; to fall into a passion; to fall in love; to fall into temptation.
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Fall
To happen; to to come to pass; to light; to befall; to issue; to terminate.
The Romans fell on this model by chance.
Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall.
They do not make laws, they fall into customs.
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Fall
To come; to occur; to arrive.
The vernal equinox, which at the Nicene Council fell on the 21st of March, falls now [1694] about ten days sooner.
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
To begin with haste, ardor, or vehemence; to rush or hurry; as, they fell to blows.
They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul.
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Fall
To pass or be transferred by chance, lot, distribution, inheritance, or otherwise; as, the estate fell to his brother; the kingdom fell into the hands of his rivals.
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Fall
To belong or appertain.
If to her share some female errors fall,Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.
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Fall
To be dropped or uttered carelessly; as, an unguarded expression fell from his lips; not a murmur fell from him.
Those captive tribes . . . fell offFrom God to worship calves.
A soul exasperated in ills falls outWith everything, its friend, itself.
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
To diminish; to lessen or lower.
Upon lessening interest to four per cent, you fall the price of your native commodities.
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Fall
The act of falling; a dropping or descending be the force of gravity; descent; as, a fall from a horse, or from the yard of ship.
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Fall
The act of dropping or tumbling from an erect posture; as, he was walking on ice, and had a fall.
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Fall
Death; destruction; overthrow; ruin.
They thy fall conspire.
Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
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Fall
Downfall; degradation; loss of greatness or office; termination of greatness, power, or dominion; ruin; overthrow; as, the fall of the Roman empire.
Beholds thee glorious only in thy fall.
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Fall
The surrender of a besieged fortress or town ; as, the fall of Sebastopol.
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Fall
Diminution or decrease in price or value; depreciation; as, the fall of prices; the fall of rents.
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Fall
A sinking of tone; cadence; as, the fall of the voice at the close of a sentence.
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Fall
Descent of water; a cascade; a cataract; a rush of water down a precipice or steep; - usually in the plural, sometimes in the singular; as, the falls of Niagara.
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Fall
The discharge of a river or current of water into the ocean, or into a lake or pond; as, the fall of the Po into the Gulf of Venice.
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Fall
Extent of descent; the distance which anything falls; as, the water of a stream has a fall of five feet.
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Fall
The season when leaves fall from trees; autumn.
What crowds of patients the town doctor kills,Or how, last fall, he raised the weekly bills.
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Fall
That which falls; a falling; as, a fall of rain; a heavy fall of snow.
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Fall
Lapse or declension from innocence or goodness. Specifically: The first apostasy; the act of our first parents in eating the forbidden fruit; also, the apostasy of the rebellious angels.
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Fall
Formerly, a kind of ruff or band for the neck; a falling band; a faule.
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Fall
That part (as one of the ropes) of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.
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Fall
A sudden drop from an upright position;
He had a nasty spill on the ice
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Fall
The lapse of mankind into sinfulness because of the sin of Adam and Eve;
Women have been blamed ever since the Fall
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Fall
A lapse into sin; a loss of innocence or of chastity;
A fall from virtue
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Fall
A sudden decline in strength or number or importance;
The fall of the House of Hapsburg
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Fall
The act of surrendering (under agreed conditions);
They were protected until the capitulation of the fort
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Fall
The time of day immediately following sunset;
He loved the twilight
They finished before the fall of night
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Fall
A free and rapid descent by the force of gravity;
It was a miracle that he survived the drop from that height
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Fall
A sudden sharp decrease in some quantity;
A drop of 57 points on the Dow Jones index
There was a drop in pressure in the pulmonary artery
A dip in prices
When that became known the price of their stock went into free fall
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Fall
Descend in free fall under the influence of gravity;
The branch fell from the tree
The unfortunate hiker fell into a crevasse
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Fall
Move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way;
The temperature is going down
The barometer is falling
The curtain fell on the diva
Her hand went up and then fell again
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
Pass suddenly and passively into a state of body or mind;
Fall into a trap
She fell ill
They fell out of favor
Fall in love
Fall asleep
Fall prey to an imposter
Fall into a strange way of thinking
She fell to pieces after she lost her work
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
Come under, be classified or included;
Fall into a category
This comes under a new heading
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Fall
Fall from clouds;
Rain, snow and sleet were falling
Vesuvius precipitated its fiery, destructive rage on Herculaneum
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Fall
Suffer defeat, failure, or ruin;
We must stand or fall
Fall by the wayside
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Fall
Decrease in size, extent, or range;
The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester
The cabin pressure fell dramatically
Her weight fall to under a hundred pounds
His voice fell to a whisper
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
Die, as in battle or in a hunt;
Many soldiers fell at Verdun
Several deer have fallen to the same gun
The shooting victim fell dead
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
Touch or seem as if touching visually or audibly;
Light fell on her face
The sun shone on the fields
The light struck the golden necklace
A strange sound struck my ears
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Fall
Occur at a specified time or place;
Christmas falls on a Monday this year
The accent falls on the first syllable
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Fall
Lose office or power;
The government fell overnight
The Qing Dynasty fell with Sun Yat-sen
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Fall
To be given by assignment or distribution;
The most difficult task fell on the youngest member of the team
The onus fell on us
The pressure to succeed fell on the yougest student
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Fall
To be given by right or inheritance;
The estate fell to the oldest daughter
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Fall
Fall to somebody by assignment or lot;
The task fell to me
It fell to me to notify the parents of the victims
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Fall
Be inherited by;
The estate fell to my sister
The land returned to the family
The estate devolved to an heir that everybody had assumed to be dead
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Fall
Lose an upright position suddenly;
The vase fell over and the water spilled onto the table
Her hair fell across her forehead
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Fall
Drop oneself to a lower or less erect position;
She fell back in her chair
He fell to his knees
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Oct 19, 2023
Fall
Fall or flow in a certain way;
This dress hangs well
Her long black hair flowed down her back
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Fall
Assume a disappointed or sad expression;
Her face fell when she heard that she would be laid off
His crest fell
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Fall
The season between summer and winter when leaves fall from the trees.
Children love playing in the fall leaves.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
Why is it called Fall?
Fall is named for the falling of leaves during this season.
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Nov 15, 2023
Can Fall be used in a poetic sense?
Yes, though Autumn is more commonly used in poetry.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Are Autumn and Fall the same season?
Yes, they are synonymous terms for the season between summer and winter.
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Nov 15, 2023
Does Autumn have any symbolic meanings?
Yes, it often symbolizes maturity or the later stages of life.
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Nov 15, 2023
Is there a difference in meaning between Autumn and Fall?
No, they mean the same season but differ in regional usage.
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Nov 15, 2023
Do all countries use the term Autumn?
No, it's mainly used in British English-speaking countries.
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Nov 15, 2023
Can Fall refer to decline apart from the season?
Yes, it can denote a decrease or decline in other contexts.
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Nov 15, 2023
Do Autumn and Fall occur at the same time of year?
Yes, they refer to the same seasonal period.
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Nov 15, 2023
Is Autumn a British or American term?
Autumn is primarily a British English term.
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Nov 15, 2023
Which term is more formal, Autumn or Fall?
Autumn is generally considered more formal.
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Nov 15, 2023
Is Autumn associated with any particular events?
It's often associated with harvest and Thanksgiving.
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Nov 15, 2023
Is Fall only used in the USA?
It is predominantly an American term but understood worldwide.
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Nov 15, 2023
Can Fall be used metaphorically in English?
Yes, it's often used metaphorically to describe decline or decrease.
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Nov 15, 2023
Is one term more poetic than the other?
Autumn is often viewed as more poetic.
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Nov 15, 2023
Is Autumn or Fall more commonly used in scientific contexts?
Both are used, but Autumn may be slightly more prevalent in formal scientific discourse.
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Nov 15, 2023
Does Autumn imply a slower change than Fall?
It can, as it evokes a sense of gradual transition.
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Nov 15, 2023
Do both terms have the same historical roots?
No, they come from different linguistic origins.
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Nov 15, 2023
Can Fall be used in literature to symbolize change?
Yes, it's frequently used to symbolize change or transition.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Does Fall have a specific cultural significance in America?
Yes, it's associated with Thanksgiving and the start of the school year.
Shumaila Saeed
Nov 15, 2023
Are the terms interchangeable in poetry?
Yes, though the choice may affect the poem's rhythm and imagery.
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Nov 15, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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