downfall

CEFRC1

/ˈdaʊnfɔːl/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A sudden loss of success, power, or health.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An act of falling down.

Examples

  • His love for indigenous Mexican art became his downfall.

  • When he was at the acme of his career, a scandal brought about his downfall.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
2

Also pronounced

  • /daʊnˈfɔːl/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The cause of such a fall; a critical blow or error.

  2. A precipitous decline in fortune; death or rapid deterioration, as in status or wealth.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To fall down; deteriorate; decline.

More examples

In context

  • Drink brought about his downfall.

  • Many economic and political reasons led to the downfall of the Roman Empire.

  • Orson Scott Card It is the downfall of evil, that it never sees far enough ahead.

Synonyms

Quick test

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Question 1 · Quick check

His arrogance led to his blank as the company's CEO.

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Nearby

Origin

noun

From down- + fall. In this spelling, from 16th century; spelled as two words from 13th century.