fall down

fall down

1. To drop or fall from a particular place or height. Lucy fell down at the playground and scraped her knee. One of the picture frames fell down last night—that was the noise you heard. A: "What was that?" B: "Sounds like something fell down in the closet."

2. To fail to do something adequately or as expected. Often used in the phrase "fall down on the job." He's a really bright young man, but time management is one area where he really tends to fall down. Jeez, what a glaring mistake. It looks like someone fell down on the job. It was the government's duty to make sure their citizens were protected from a financial disaster like this, but they've fallen down on the job.

See also: down, fall

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

fall down

to drop or topple. The baby fell down. Walk carefully on this ice or you will fall down.

See also: down, fall

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

fall down

Fail to meet expectations; lag in performance. For example, It was disappointing to see him fall down on the job. This expression transfers a literal drop to a figurative one. [Second half of 1800s]

See also: down, fall

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fall down

v.

To drop or tip over: I slipped on the ice and fell down the steps. A lot of trees fell down during the hurricane.

See also: down, fall

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.