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falls

/fɑlz/
/fɔlz/
IPA guide

A falls is a waterfall, a natural place where water cascades from a height. Niagara Falls is one of the world's most well-known falls.

The noun falls can be singular or plural: "We saw four small falls flowing down the side of the mountain." Falls are formed when a river or stream flows over a cliff or a high, rocky area. Some falls occur when snow melts and water cascades down the face of a mountain. The word falls comes from the water falling, from an Old English root word: feallan, "to drop from a height."

Definitions of falls
  1. noun
    a steep descent of the water of a river
    synonyms: waterfall
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    examples:
    American Falls
    a part of Niagara Falls in western New York (north of Buffalo)
    Angel Falls
    the highest waterfall; has more than one leap; flow varies seasonally
    Horseshoe Falls
    a part of Niagara Falls in Ontario
    Cuquenan Falls
    a famous waterfall in Venezuela
    Victoria Falls
    a large waterfall on the border between Argentina and Brazil
    Niagara Falls
    waterfall in Canada is the Horseshoe Falls; in the United States it is the American Falls
    Paulo Afonso Falls
    a major waterfall in northeastern Brazil
    Guaira Falls
    a great waterfall on the border between Brazil and Paraguay
    Takakkaw
    a waterfall in southeastern British Columbia; the highest waterfall in Canada (1250 feet high)
    Tugela Falls
    a major waterfall in southern Africa; has more than one leap
    Twin Falls
    a waterfall in the Snake River in southern Idaho
    Urubupunga Falls
    a waterfall in the Parana river in Brazil
    Victoria Falls
    a waterfall in the Zambezi River on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia; diminishes seasonally
    Yosemite Falls
    a series of waterfalls in Yosemite National Park in California; is reduced to a trickle for part of each year
    types:
    cascade
    a small waterfall or series of small waterfalls
    cataract
    a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice
    type of:
    body of water, water
    the part of the earth's surface covered with water (such as a river or lake or ocean)
  2. noun
    the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
    see moresee less
    type of:
    chlamys, floral envelope, perianth, perigone, perigonium
    collective term for the outer parts of a flower consisting of the calyx and corolla and enclosing the stamens and pistils
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