FELL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fell mean? 

• FELL (noun)
  The noun FELL has 3 senses:

1. the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)

2. seam made by turning under or folding together and stitching the seamed materials to avoid rough edges

3. the act of felling something (as a tree)

  Familiarity information: FELL used as a noun is uncommon.

• FELL (adjective)
  The adjective FELL has 1 sense:

1. (of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

  Familiarity information: FELL used as an adjective is very rare.

• FELL (verb)
  The verb FELL has 3 senses:

1. cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

2. pass away rapidly

3. sew a seam by folding the edges

  Familiarity information: FELL used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FELL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

fell; hide

Hypernyms ("fell" is a kind of...):

animal skin (the outer covering of an animal)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fell"):

cowhide (the hide of a cow)

goatskin (the hide of a goat)

rawhide (untanned hide especially of cattle; cut in strips it is used for whips and ropes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Seam made by turning under or folding together and stitching the seamed materials to avoid rough edges

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

fell; felled seam

Hypernyms ("fell" is a kind of...):

seam (joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces)

Derivation:

fell (sew a seam by folding the edges)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of felling something (as a tree)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("fell" is a kind of...):

kill; killing; putting to death (the act of terminating a life)

Derivation:

fell (cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow)

• FELL (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

Synonyms:

barbarous; brutal; cruel; fell; roughshod; savage; vicious

Context example:

vicious kicks

Similar:

inhumane (lacking and reflecting lack of pity or compassion)

• FELL (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they fell    ... he / she / it fells   
Past simple: felled   
Past participle: felled   
-ing form: felling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

cut down; drop; fell; strike down

Context example:

Lightning struck down the hikers

Hypernyms (to "fell" is one way to...):

cut (separate with or as if with an instrument)

Cause:

come down; descend; fall; go down (move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fell"):

chop down (cut down)

poleax; poleaxe (fell with or as if with a poleax)

log; lumber (cut lumber, as in woods and forests)

cut (fell by sawing; hew)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

They fell the trees

Derivation:

fell (the act of felling something (as a tree))

feller (a person who fells trees)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Pass away rapidly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

fell; fly; vanish

Context example:

Time fleeing beneath him

Hypernyms (to "fell" is one way to...):

elapse; glide by; go along; go by; lapse; pass; slide by; slip away; slip by (pass by)

Verb group:

fly; vanish; vaporize (decrease rapidly and disappear)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 3

Meaning:

Sew a seam by folding the edges

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "fell" is one way to...):

run up; sew; sew together; stitch (fasten by sewing; do needlework)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

fell (seam made by turning under or folding together and stitching the seamed materials to avoid rough edges)

 Context examples 

Air-holes formed, fissures sprang and spread apart, while thin sections of ice fell through bodily into the river.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

So that when Dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell at full length.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

His face fell, and I could see a warning of danger in it, for there was a sudden fierce, sidelong look which meant killing.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

October fell in the middle of the eclipses that came before, July 2 and July 16, and the eclipses that are yet to come, December 25 and January 10, 2020.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell pierced his eyes.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Therefore she did as she was told, and did it with such nervous hands that her hair (which was luxuriant and beautiful) fell all about her face.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He tried to rise to his feet, and after several attempts fell down from weakness.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

However, while screen time increased throughout toddlerhood, by age 7 and 8, screen time fell to under 1.5 hours per day.

(High amounts of screen time begin as early as infancy, National Institutes of Health)

PGR increased from 1.64% in 2006-2007 to 1.82% in 2007-2008, but fell to 1.2 in 2008-2009.

(Is the Global Crisis Triggering Basic Instincts?, BOGDAN FLORIN PAUL)

Their numbers fell by 83 per cent in 2016 and 94 per cent in 2017.

(Mosquitos rendered infertile by biological engineering, SciDev.Net)