To attack suddenly, to discover by chance, or (of a duty) to become someone's responsibility.
To suddenly attack someone, to find something by accident, or to have a job land on you.
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
To attack someone or something suddenly and with force.
"The soldiers fell upon the enemy camp before dawn."
"They fell upon him and beat him."
— Bible, Luke 10:30 (paraphrase of the Good Samaritan parable)
To discover or encounter something by chance.
"Browsing the archives, she fell upon a letter that changed everything."
Of a responsibility or task: to become someone's duty.
"When the director resigned, the burden of the presentation fell upon the junior manager."
To physically drop or land on something — the idiomatic senses extend this to sudden action or discovery.
To suddenly attack someone, to find something by accident, or to have a job land on you.
Chiefly formal or literary. Common in historical writing, literature, and formal speech. 'Fall on' is the more everyday equivalent.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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