be in free fall
To be experiencing a sudden, rapid, and uncontrollable decline (e.g., in value, reputation, success, etc.) that continues unabated for an indefinite length of time. The stock market was in free fall after the housing market collapsed. John's life has been in free fall ever since he lost his job. After getting busted by the police last year, Albert's life has been in free fall.
free fall
1. A vertical descent of a physical body in which gravity is the only force acting upon it. If they were in true free fall, a feather and a bowling ball would both fall to the ground at the same rate. I hate physics. Who cares about things like free fall and acceleration? A: "Will an egg in free fall will break?" B: "Yeah? Because it has nothing to slow down its descent?"
2. In a parachute jump, the period of vertical descent leading up to and immediately before the parachute is opened. I get such a rush from the free fall when I skydive that I often wish I didn't have to open my chute at all! I had a hard time opening my parachute at first, so I stayed in free fall longer than I would have liked. I could never jump out of a plane and free fall like that—my nerves simply would not allow it.
3. By extension of def. 1, any sudden, rapid, and uncontrollable decline (e.g., in value, reputation, success, etc.) that continues unabated for an indefinite length of time. The stock market went into a free fall after the housing market collapsed. After getting busted by the police for using marijuana last year, John's life has been in a free fall. Albert's life has been in free fall ever since he lost his job
go into free fall
To experience a sudden, rapid, and uncontrollable decline (e.g., in value, reputation, success, etc.) that continues unabated for an indefinite length of time. The stock market went into free fall after the housing market collapsed. After getting busted by the police last year, John's life has gone into free fall. I think Albert's life went into free fall as soon as he lost his job.
in free fall
Experiencing a sudden, rapid, and uncontrollable decline (e.g., in value, reputation, success, etc.) that continues unabated for an indefinite length of time. The stock market was in free fall after the housing market collapsed. John's life has been in free fall ever since he lost his job. After getting busted by the police last year, Albert's life has been in free fall.
into free fall
Experiencing a sudden, rapid, and uncontrollable decline (e.g., in value, reputation, success, etc.) that continues unabated for an indefinite length of time. The stock market went into free fall when the housing market collapsed. After getting busted by the police last year, John's life has gone into free fall. Albert's life has gone into free fall ever since he lost his job
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
free fall
A rapid, uncontrolled decline, as in The markets threatened to go into free fall and we came close to outright panic. This term transfers the aeronautical meaning of a free fall, that is, "a fall through the air without any impedance, such as a parachute," to other kinds of precipitous drop. [Second half of 1900s]
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.