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free fall

1 American  

noun

  1. the hypothetical fall of a body such that the only force acting upon it is that of gravity.

  2. the part of a parachute jump that precedes the opening of the parachute.

  3. a decline, especially a sudden or rapid decline, as in value or prestige, that appears to be endless or bottomless.

    The economy was in a free fall all winter.
free-fall 2 American  
[free-fawl] / ˈfriˌfɔl /

verb (used without object)

free-fell, free-fallen, free-falling

  1. (of parachutists) to descend initially, as for a designated interval, in a free fall.

    The jumpers were required to free-fall for eight seconds.

adjective

  1. denoting or suggesting a free fall.

    a free-fall recession.

noun

  1. free fall.

free fall British  

noun

  1. free descent of a body in which the gravitational force is the only force acting on it

  2. the part of a parachute descent before the parachute opens

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
free fall Cultural  

  1. In physics, the motion of a body being acted upon only by gravity. A satellite in orbit is in free fall, as is a skydiver (if we neglect the effects of air resistance).

free fall Idioms  

  1. 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]

Discover More

During free fall, objects are said to be weightless.

Etymology

Origin of free fall1

First recorded in 1915–20

Origin of free-fall2

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Software and services stocks have been in free fall for weeks, dragging the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF to the lowest levels in nearly a year and more than 30% from its mid-September peak.

From Barron's

He tried to set his expression into “bravery in the grip of terrible adversity” but it was difficult with the wind contorting his face as if he were in a free fall without a parachute.

From Literature

The recent free fall in software stocks has spilled over to the chip sector, and a Bank of America analyst says the selling doesn’t make sense.

From MarketWatch

By midday in New York, metals prices were in free fall.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s the deepest capital market in the world. It’s hard to see the currency in free fall.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.