free fall

NOUN

rapid decline or descent

Synonyms

WEAK

collapse decline dive drop nosedive plummet plummeting plunge sag slump

Antonyms

WEAK

upturn

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.

What it wasn’t for was a team that entered the weekend in free fall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

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 • Feb. 13, 2026

Someone offering you a higher fixed rate of interest on bonds, at a moment when the economy is in free fall, is someone offering you free money.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 24, 2025

Still, there is no denying that, like all awards shows, the Emmys are in a ratings free fall.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025

By now, more than ten million Americans were unemployed, and the auto industry was in a perilous free fall.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama