freefall
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈfɹiːˌfɔːl/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
Noun
freefall (uncountable)
- (physics) The state of being in a motion affected by no acceleration (force) other than that provided by gravity.
- (common usage) The state of falling with no interference from outside forces other than the air resistance (no open parachute, etc.)
- (by extension) The state of worsening out of control.
- As civil war continues in Iraq, the U.S. president's approval ratings are in freefall.
- 2010, Mick Herron, Slow Horses, page 63:
- House prices were in freefall, if you owned one.
- 2020 March 25, Rail, front cover:
- Passenger numbers in freefall as UK battles COVID-19
Derived terms
Derived terms
Translations
being affected only by gravity
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falling through atmosphere without additional drag devices
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state of worsening out of control
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Verb
freefall (third-person singular simple present freefalls, present participle freefalling, simple past freefell, past participle freefallen)
- (intransitive) To drop in a state of freefall.
- 1987 April 11, Pamela Wescott, “Judy Grahn: Pursuing the Work We Want”, in Gay Community News, page 8:
- Watching a mother raccoon urge her babies, one by one, to let go of their grip of the roof and free-fall into her outstretched arms, three feet below on the porch rail.
- A base jumper attempts to freefall for as long as possible before triggering the parachute.