fallen

[faw-luhn]

verb

1. past participle of fall.

adjective

1. having dropped or come down from a higher place, from an upright position, or from a higher level, degree, amount, quality, value, number, etc.

2. on the ground; prostrate; down flat.

   Exhausted, the racers lay fallen by the road.

3. degraded or immoral.

4. (of a woman) having lost her chastity.

5. overthrown, destroyed, or conquered.

   a fallen city.

6. dead.

   fallen troops.

fallen

/ ˈfɔːlən /

verb

1. the past participle of fall

adjective

1. having sunk in reputation or honour

   a fallen woman

2. killed in battle with glory

   our fallen heroes

3. defeated

Other Word Forms

• unfallen adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fallen¹

First recorded before 900, for the adjective

Example Sentences

In the digital landscape, the political cartoon, once a staple of the American newspaper, has fallen by the wayside, crushed under a mountain of current events and covert biases.

From Salon

Earlier this week, the government reported that job openings had fallen to the lowest level since 2024, while job seekers outnumbered the posts for the first time since the pandemic.

From BBC

They have fallen behind in recent years with their lack of silverware but when they have a fully-fit squad, they have played some of the best football.

From BBC

"Supermarkets, sports shops and household goods stores had a strong start to the year, but spending there has fallen since March," said the ONS's director general of economic statistics, James Benford.

From BBC

South Africa have claimed the World Test Championship on this ground this summer and returned to show England how they have fallen behind the best one-day sides in the world.

From BBC

Related Words

• collapsed www.thesaurus.com
• decayed www.thesaurus.com