1 A2 neutral
To lose balance and fall to the ground, often by tripping on something.
"She fell over a loose paving stone and twisted her ankle."
inseparable
fall over
A2 neutral inseparable intransitive
To lose balance and fall sideways, or to stumble and fall to the ground.
In plain English
To fall to the side and end up on the ground.
What does "fall over" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 neutral
Of an object: to tip sideways and land on its side.
"The bookcase wasn't secured to the wall and fell over in the earthquake."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To fall in a sideways or tipping motion — going over to one side.
Actually means
To fall to the side and end up on the ground.
Usage tip
Very common and transparent in its physical sense. Often implies tripping over an object ('fall over the cat') or simply losing balance. Also used of objects tipping over. In the sense of 'fall over oneself', a separate expression.
Words that pair with "fall over"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
trip stumble toy dog feet furniture vase bike
How to conjugate "fall over"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
fall over
I/you/we/they
3rd person
falls over
he/she/it
Past simple
fell over
yesterday
Past participle
fallen over
have + pp
-ing form
falling over
continuous
Hear "fall over" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "fall over" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "fall over"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Keep exploring
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