fall to one's knees

present singular third person falls to one's knees · participle present falling to one's knees · past fell to one's knees · participle past fallen to one's knees

1. To collapse into a crouched kneeling position.

   And then he dropped the pistol and fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands and began to cry violently, his shoulders heaving and his head bouncing and the exasperation of something having finally reached its end.

   2021, Michael Farris Smith, chapter 30, in Nick, New York; Boston; London: Little, Brown and Company, page 161

   1 more example

   Fall to your knees and recognize your newfound kings / Where we come from / The saw is the law / When there's no hope left / We will not fall among the giants / We still stand tall and we will not be stopped / Just let it go and let the wind blow / It's like a hurricane inside of your head / The pressure's never ending, / But your brain is still depending and comprehending / Why it is still defending just let go / And be one with the family / Your life decisions have become our control / And we will swallow this world whole

   2014, “The Saw is the Law”, in Our Endless War (deathcore), performed by Whitechapel, track 3

2. InternetfigurativelyTo be in disbelief, or despair.