herabfallen

Definition & meaning

Herabfallen means to fall down from a higher place or to fall off something. It describes an unintentional downward movement, often from a height or from a surface.

Grammar & Word origin

This is an intransitive, separable verb: in a main clause, its prefix moves to the end. It is formed from herab ? (“downward”) and fallen ? (“to fall”).

Principal forms: fällt herab ?, fiel herab ?, ist herabgefallen ?. It takes sein in the perfect tense.

Synonyms & antonyms

• herunterfallen ? — a close synonym, often interchangeable; it can sound more everyday.
• hinunterfallen ? — also means “to fall down,” often emphasizing movement away from the speaker or toward a lower place.
• abfallen ? — usually means “to come off” or “drop off,” emphasizing separation from what something was attached to.
• aufsteigen ? — an approximate opposite when describing upward movement; it means “to rise” or “to ascend.”

Common phrases & collocations

• vom Dach herabfallen ? — to fall from the roof
• Blätter fallen herab ? — leaves fall down
• herabfallende Äste ? — falling branches