What is the difference between befall and fall?

befall | fall | Related terms |

Fall is a related term of befall.

In intransitive terms the difference between befall and fall

is that befall is to happen while fall is to become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.).

In transitive terms the difference between befall and fall

is that befall is to happen to while fall is to be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.

As a proper noun Fall is

the sudden fall of humanity into a state of sin, as brought about by the transgression of Adam and Eve.

befall

English

Verb

To happen.

To happen to.

Temptation befell me.

* Shakespeare

I beseech your grace that I may know / The worst that may befall me.

* {{quote-web, date=2013-04-15

, year= , first= , last= , author=Walter Russell Mead , authorlink= , title=The Wreck of the Euro , site=The American Interest citation , archiveorg= , accessdate=2013-04-16 , passage=As we’ve said before, with the exception of communism itself, the euro has been the biggest economic catastrophe to befall the continent (and the world) since the 1930s. }}

Derived terms

* befalling * misbefall

Noun

(en noun)

Case; instance; circumstance; event; incident; accident.

* 1495 , William Caxton, Vitas Patrum :

Or he had tolde al his befall .

* 1990 , India. Parliament. House of the People, India. Parliament. Lok Sabha, Lok Sabha debates :

This is proposed to be done by moving necessary amendment in this befall to the Finance Bill.

* 1994 , Socialist Party (India), Janata: Volume 49 :

He said "I would advise people to cultivate frugal habits. I will not commit the crime of making them helpless by saying that they have no responsibility whatever in the befall of calamities like old age, illness, accident, etc. [...]"

* 1996 , Thomas Pfau, Rhonda Ray Kercsmar, Rhetorical and cultural dissolution in romanticism :

[...], the word "care" asserting itself subliminally in somewhat the same way that "fall" does in the "befall " of "Infant Joy."

References

* * English irregular verbs ----

fall

English

(wikipedia fall)

Verb

To move downwards.

#To move to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

#*:There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

#To come down, to drop or descend.

#*1920 , (Herman Cyril McNeile), (Bulldog Drummond) , Ch.1:

#*:Her eyes fell on the table, and she advanced into the room wiping her hands on her apron.

#To come to the ground deliberately, to prostrate oneself.

#To be brought to the ground.

(lb) To be moved downwards.

#(lb) To let fall; to drop.

#*(William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)

#*:For every tear he falls , a Trojan bleeds.

#(lb) To sink; to depress.

# To fell; to cut down.

(lb) To happen, to change negatively.

#(lb) To become.

#To occur (on a certain day of the week, date, or similar); (said of an instance of a recurring event such as a holiday or date).

#(lb) To collapse; to be overthrown or defeated.

# To die, especially in battle or by disease.

#(lb) To become lower (in quantity, pitch, etc.).

#*Sir (c.1569-1626)

#*:The greatness of these Irish lords suddenly fell and vanished.

#*1835 , Sir , Sir (James Clark Ross), Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-west Passage …, Vol.1 , pp.284-5:

#*:Towards the following morning, the thermometer fell to 5°; and at daylight, there was not an atom of water to be seen in any direction.

#*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)

, title= Old soldiers? , passage=Whether modern, industrial man is less or more warlike than his hunter-gatherer ancestors is impossible to determine.

#(lb) To become; to be affected by or befallen with a calamity; to change into the state described by words following; to become prostrated literally or figuratively .

(lb) To be allotted to; to arrive through chance, fate, or inheritance.

*(Alexander Pope) (1688-1744)

*:If to her share some female errors fall , / Look on her face, and you'll forget them all.

To diminish; to lessen or lower.

* (John Locke) (1632-1705)

*:Upon lessening interest to four per cent, you fall the price of your native commodities.

To bring forth.

:(Shakespeare)

To issue forth into life; to be brought forth; said of the young of certain animals.

:(Shakespeare)

To descend in character or reputation; to become degraded; to sink into vice, error, or sin.

*(Bible)}, (w) iv.11:

*:Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

To become ensnared or entrapped; to be worse off than before.

To assume a look of shame or disappointment; to become or appear dejected; said of the face.

*(Bible), (w) iv.5:

*:Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell .

*(Joseph Addison) (1672–1719)

*:I have observed of late thy looks are fallen .

To happen; to come to pass; to chance or light (upon).

*(Jonathan Swift) (1667–1745)

*:The Romans fell on this model by chance.

*(Bible), (w) iii.18:

*:Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall .

*(Herbert Spenser) (1820-1903)

*:Primitive mendo not make laws, they fall into customs.

To begin with haste, ardour, or vehemence; to rush or hurry.

*(Benjamin Jowett) (1817-1893) ((Thucydides))

*:They now no longer doubted, but fell to work heart and soul.

To be dropped or uttered carelessly.

Quotations

* , Andrew Wi?e (publisher, 1598 — second quarto), Act V, Scene 3: *: Ghoa?t [of Clarence]. / To morrow in the battaile thinke on me, / And fall thy edgele??e ?word, di?paire and die.

Synonyms

* (move to a lower position under the effect of gravity) drop, plummet, plunge * (come down) come down, descend, drop * (come to the ground deliberately) drop, lower oneself, prostrate oneself * (be brought to the ground) * : be beaten by, be defeated by, be overthrown by, be smitten by, be vanquished by, * (die) die * (be allotted to) be the responsibility of, be up to * : dip, drop * (become) become, get * : cut down (of a tree), fell, knock down, knock over, strike down

Antonyms

* (come down) ascend, go up, rise * (come to the ground deliberately) get up, pick oneself up, stand up * : beat, defeat, overthrow, smite, vanquish * : rise

Derived terms

* the apple does not fall far from the tree * the * the curtain falls * fair fall * fallable * fall aboard * fall aboard of * fall about * fall about someone's ears * fall abreast of * fall abroad of * fall across * fall adown * fall afire * fall afoul * fall afoul of * fall after * fallage * fall all over someone or oneself * fall among * fall apart * fall asleep * fall aslope * fall astern * fall asunder * fall at * fall at the crest * fall at the first fence, fall at the first hurdle * fall away * fall back * * fall back on, fall back upon * fall behind, fall behindhand * fall between the cracks * fall between two stools * fall by * fall by the wayside * fall calm * fall dead * fall down * fall down on * fall due * fallen * faller * fall flat * fall flat on one's face * fall for * fall forth * fall foul * fall foul of, fall foul with * fall from * fall from grace * fall heir * fall home * fall ill * fall in * fall in age * fall in flesh * fall in for * falling * fall in line * fall in love * fall in mold, fall in mould * fall in one's road * fall in one's way * fall in somebody's heart, fall in someone's heart * fall in somebody's mind, fall in someone's mind * fall into one's hands * fall into one's lap * fall in two * fall in upon * fall in with * fall into * fall into line * fall into place * fall into somebody's heart, fall into someone's heart * fall into somebody's mind, fall into someone's mind * fall of * fall off * fall off the turnip truck * fall on * fall on board * fall on deaf ears * fall one's crest * fall on one's face * fall on one's feet * fall on shore * fall on sleep * fall on one's knees * fall on one's sword * fall on the crest * fall open * fall out * fall out in * fall out of * fall out upon * fall out with * fall over * fall over oneself * fall over one's feet * fall pregnant * fall prey to * fall short * fall short of * fall short to * fall sick * fall silent * fallstreaks, fallstreifen * fall through * fall through the cracks * fall to * fall to be * fall together * fall to loggerheads * fall to mold, fall to mould * fall to oneself * fall to one's knees * fall to one's lot * fall to one's share * fall to pieces * fall to powder * fall to the ground * fall under * fall unto * fall upon * fall victim to * fall what can fall, fall what will fall * fall with * fall within * foul fall * let fall * let the chips fall where they may * may fall, may-fall * misfall * overfall * the rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain * refall * tendency of the rate of profit to fall * to-fall * under-fall *

Noun

(en noun)

The act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity.

A reduction in quantity, pitch, etc.

*:“I'm through with all pawn-games,” I laughed. “Come, let us have a game of lansquenet. Either I will take a farewell fall out of you or you will have your sevenfold revenge”.

A loss of greatness or status.

(label) A crucial event or circumstance.

# The action of a batsman being out.

# (label) A defect in the ice which causes stones thrown into an area to drift in a given direction.

# (label) An instance of a wrestler being pinned to the mat.

Blame or punishment for a failure or misdeed.

The part of the rope of a tackle to which the power is applied in hoisting.

See'' falls'''

An old Scots unit of measure equal to six ells.

Synonyms

* (act of moving to a lower position) descent, drop * (reduction) decrease, dip, drop, lowering, reduction * (season) autumn * (loss of greatness or status) downfall * rap

Antonyms

* (act of moving to a lower position under the effect of gravity) ascent, rise * (reduction) increase, rise * (loss of greatness or status) ascent, rise

Derived terms

* accidental fall * angle of fall * ash fall, ashfall * backfall * best-of-three-falls match * block and fall * break a fall * break-fall, breakfall * break one's fall * byfall * catfall * center of falls, centre of falls * chainfall * crossfall * darkfall * dead fall, dead-fall, deadfall * dew-fall, dewfall * dog-fall, dogfall * downfall * dustfall * earthfall * even-fall, evenfall * fall-and-rise phenomenon * fall armyworm * fall and tackle * fall block, fall-block * fall-blooming * fall-board, fallboard * fall-breaker * fall-bridge * fall cankerworm * (Fall Classic) * fall-cloud * fall colors * fall dandelion * fall-door * fall duck * fall equinox * fall factor * fall-fish, fallfish * fall foliage * fall-forward * fall from grace * fall front * fall-front desk * fall guy, fall-guy * fall herring * fall-iron door * fall-leaf * fall-less * fall line, fall-line * fall money * The (Fall of Baghdad) * The (Fall of Constantinople) * fall of day * the (w) * the Fall of Man, the fall of man * The (Fall of Saigon) * fall of the leaf * fall of the perch * the (w), the (Fall of Rome) * fall of wicket * fall overturn * fall-pipe * fall-pippin * fall rate * fall-rise * fall-rope * fall-run fish * falls * (Falls-to-Falls Corridor) * fall time * fall-trap * fall turnover * fall-way * fall webworm * fall wind, fall-wind * fall-window * fall-wood * fally * fall zone * fish fall * foot-fall, footfall * free fall * give a fall * ice fall, ice-fall * infall * jaw-fall, jawfall * landfall * law-fall * leaf-fall * litterfall * mid-fall, midfall * misfall * mouse-fall * near-fall * nightfall * offal * onfall * outfall * overfall * parachute landing fall * pinfall * pitfall * planetfall * prat-fall, pratfall, pratt-fall * pressure-fall center, pressure-fall centre * pride comes before a fall, pride goes before a fall, pride goeth before a fall * proudfall * rainfall * ride for a fall * rises and falls * rock-fall, rockfall * roof fall * root-fall * shake a fall * shout-and-fall * slip and fall * smokefall * snow-fall, snowfall * speck falls * stiff board fall * sunfall * Swedish fall * tackle fall * take the fall * technical fall * terminal fall velocity * threadfall * throughfall * toe drain and outfall * trad fall * trap-fall, trapfall * try a fall * two-out-of-three-falls match * underfall * waterfall * whale fall * windfall * withfall * wrestle a fall * zipper fall

Statistics

* English copulative verbs English ergative verbs English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words ----

What is the difference between befall and fall?

Fall is a related term of befall.

In intransitive terms the difference between befall and fall

In transitive terms the difference between befall and fall

As a proper noun Fall is

befall

English

Verb

Derived terms

Noun

References

fall

English

Verb

Quotations

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Noun

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Statistics