fall down; suffer a setback
Meanings
2 senses · 7 examplesverb
to fall; to tumble; to take a fall
Literal sense referring to physical falling or stumbling.
The road was slippery on the snowy day, and he accidentally took a fall.
The child was running and playing on the grass when suddenly he tumbled and started crying.
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You need to watch your step when walking, otherwise it's easy to fall.
verb
to suffer a setback; to fail; to make a fool of oneself
Figurative sense referring to failures in endeavors, business, or embarrassing mistakes. Often implies a hard lesson learned.
One shouldn't be too arrogant, or sooner or later one will suffer a fall.
He took too many risks in business and ended up suffering a major setback.
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Ignoring advice and acting willfully, he eventually came to grief.
This failure was a lesson for him, teaching him that making promises lightly leads to failure.