GIVE ANSWERS - English

57% GOOD (61 votes)AnsweredLanguage Question
What is difference between "fall" and "drop"?

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hy_lam profile picture hy_lamFebruary 2017

Drop refers to something dropping from your hands.

He dropped the ball.  Do not take too many plates at once or you will drop them!

Fall is for when it is not in someone's hands.

The book fell off the desk.  Tie your shoelaces or you will fall down!

  • NellieJenks profile picture NellieJenksJanuary 2025
    Great explanation of the difference between ”drop” and ”fall”! It reminds me of the Bad Parenting game where players often find themselves in hilarious situations—like dropping the ball during a chaotic family moment! Understanding these terms can definitely help in crafting better scenarios. Does anyone else have funny stories related to dropping things during family activities? https://badparentingame.com/
  • CezaryB profile picture CezaryBMay 2018
    That said, complex as English is, these are not "hard" rules. Please ignore the following if minute rules tend to frustrate you:

    You can "fell" a tree (cut down a tree).
    Prices can "drop" or "fall" (same meaning, that is: go down).

    Typically "drop" would be connected to an object that is being acted on (the ball is dropped). Or, if used reflexively in the 1st person you add what you are dropping or where you are dropping to. "I dropped to the ground". That said, it is more natural to "fall to the ground" or simply to "fall". So a good general rule is to use "fall" when speaking reflexively or about people. "She fell into the water", "I tripped on the rope and fell over".
jeroen_bie profile picture jeroen_bieMay 2019
to drop - dropping something suggests that someone was holding it at first, and now lets go of it
you dropped a book
you dropped a ball
you where first holding onto it before you let it go

to fall - is from the perspective of the object itself
the book fell from ....
the ball fell ....
the motion is the same, but doesn't imply that someone was holding it, maybe it was just laying on the table and it fell off.

to fall - also has a second meaning, to fall in love for example
you can fall in love but not drop in love
  • mac2210 profile picture mac2210December 2022
    it can have the same or different meaning depending on how it is used in a sentence