freefall

plural freefalls · alternative free fall · alternative free-fall

1. countableuncountablenatural sciencesA state of motion affected by no acceleration or force other than that of gravity.

   SAC has a bomber study currently in progress to see how many freefalls, how many SRAM, how many ALCM's they need to fill out the force.

   1977, United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Armed Services, Fiscal Year 1978 Authorization for Military Procurement, Research, and Development, and Active Duty, Selected Reserve, and Civilian Personnel Strengths, Hearings Before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, First Session, on S. 1210, page 6083

2. countableuncountablenatural sciencesA state of motion but allowing for the presence of incidental air resistance not caused intentionally by devices such parachutes or wings.

   I only had four months left on the team and wanted to log as many freefalls as possible, and I was closing in on my 750th jump.

   2017, Randy Lippincott, Out of the Blue, My History of Freefall, Ethanol, and Skyfall

3. broadlycountablefigurativelyuncountableA rapid, uncontrolled decline or worsening.

   As civil war continues in Iraq, the U.S. president's approval ratings are in freefall.

   5 more examples

   That "spiritual imagination" is manifest in the "Mass," which checks the freefalls into dread with praise for the mystery, flux and plenitude of creation.

   1989, Sagetrieb, volume 8, page 177

   compared with the freefalls that followed, one day after another through the next weeks, as brief respites gave way to new selling panics.

   1993, Eleanor Ray, Barbara Marinacci, Vineyards in the Sky, The Life of Legendary Vintner Martin Ray, page 149

   House prices were in freefall, if you owned one.

   2010, Mick Herron, Slow Horses, page 63

   Passenger numbers in freefall as UK battles COVID-19

   2020 March 25, Rail, front cover

   Even with the economy in free fall, demand for cheap, cute clothes persisted.

   2021 February 6, Rachel Monroe, “Ultra-fast Fashion Is Eating the World”, in The Atlantic

present singular third person freefalls · participle present freefalling · past freefell · participle past freefallen · alternative free fall · alternative free-fall

1. intransitiveTo drop in a state of freefall.

   A base jumper attempts to freefall for as long as possible before triggering the parachute.

   1 more example

   Watching a mother raccoon urge her babies, one by one, to let go of their grip of the roof and free-fall into her outstretched arms, three feet below on the porch rail.

   1987 April 11, Pamela Wescott, “Judy Grahn: Pursuing the Work We Want”, in Gay Community News, page 8

2. broadlyfigurativelyintransitiveTo decline or worsen rapidly and uncontrollably.