verb
Very common
fell
fehl
Fell (verb) means to cut something down, especially a tree, or to knock someone or something to the ground. Example: “Workers felled the dead tree in our garden before it could hit the shed.”
verb
1
To cut something down, especially a tree, or to knock someone or something to the ground.
"Workers felled the dead tree in our garden before it could hit the shed."
"The loggers felled three oaks before lunch."
"One punch felled the much bigger man."
adj
1
Cruel and merciless; fierce and deadly.
"In the old legend, a fell dragon terrorised the valley for many years."
"She spoke of the war's fell consequences."
""One fell swoop" is the only place most people still meet this word."
noun
1
A high, bare stretch of hill or moorland, especially in northern England.
"Sheep wandered freely over the bare fell, where the wind never stopped."
"On a clear day, the view from the fell stretches for miles."
"They hiked across the fells above Windermere."
How to use fell
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMainly the past tense of a verb meaning to chop down or knock down, but also a stand-alone adjective meaning fierce/deadly, and a noun for a bare hill.
Common mistake
The adjective sense survives almost only in the fixed phrase "at one fell swoop" — don't expect to use it freely elsewhere.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
fell a tree
one fell swoop
the Lake District fells
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Word forms
- Plural
- fells
- Third person singular
- fells
- Past tense
- felled
- Comparative
- feller, more fell
- Superlative
- fellest, most fell
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Workers _____ the dead tree in our garden before it could hit the shed.
Etymology
From Old English fellan/fiellan, "to cause to fall," the causative partner of "fall" — literally "to make (something) fall."
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for fell
See all rhymes for fell →Frequently asked questions
What does “fell” mean?
The word “fell” means to cut something down, especially a tree, or to knock someone or something to the ground. In plain terms, mainly the past tense of a verb meaning to chop down or knock down, but also a stand-alone adjective meaning fierce/deadly, and a noun for a bare hill.
How do you pronounce “fell”?
“Fell” is pronounced fehl (/fɛl/ in IPA).
How do you use “fell” in a sentence?
Here is “fell” used in a sentence: “The loggers felled three oaks before lunch.”
What part of speech is “fell”?
Depending on how it is used, “fell” can be a verb, an adjective and a noun.
Where does the word “fell” come from?
The word “fell” comes from Old English. From Old English fellan/fiellan, "to cause to fall," the causative partner of "fall" — literally "to make (something) fall.".
Is “fell” a common word?
“Fell” is a very common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “fell” have?
“Fell” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to cut something down, especially a tree, or to knock someone or something to the ground.
What is the difference between 'fell' and 'fall'?
To fell is to make something fall — you fell a tree by cutting it down. To fall is to drop of your own accord. Fell is transitive and always takes an object; fall is intransitive. Confusingly, 'fell' is also the past tense of 'fall,' as in 'he fell over.'
What does it mean to fell a tree?
To fell a tree is to cut it down so that it drops to the ground, usually with an axe or a saw. It is the standard term in forestry and logging. The person who does this is a feller, and a tree that has been cut is said to have been felled.
What is the past tense of 'fell'?
When 'fell' means to cut or knock down, its past tense is 'felled' — 'they felled the oak last winter.' Do not confuse this with 'fell' as the past tense of 'fall.' So a lumberjack felled a tree, but a hiker fell down a slope.
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