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.

The number of water voles nationally are in free fall, with more than 90 per cent of them lost since the 1970s, the Mammal Society said.

From BBC • May 19, 2026

After touching an all-time high around $125,000 in October, bitcoin went into free fall, and its spectacular rally was matched by an equally dramatic decline.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

Not long after Sora 2 launched as a stand-alone, limited-access app in the fall, user growth went into total free fall, with downloads plunging by nearly 75 percent from their November peak.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

At the same time, his stunning free fall might wind up making him surprisingly good value as a late-round pick for Cleveland.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

Weightlessness is caused by the fact that an object in orbit is essentially in a free fall.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin