Fall off means to fall from something (a bike, a horse, a chair) or to come off (a button, a handle, a wheel). The second common meaning is to decrease: sales, attendance or interest fall off.
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fall off + bike/horse/ladder/chair; button/handle + falls off; sales/numbers + fall off
- My little brother fell off his scooter but only scratched his knee.
- A button fell off my shirt just before the job interview.
- Attendance at the evening classes fell off after the winter holidays.
What changed
First versionI fell down from my bike yesterday.
RevisionI fell off my bike yesterday.
Fell down from can seem logical: you fall down, and you fall from the bike. But down is extra here: it describes falling downwards, not coming off a surface you were on. For that, one short word is enough: fall off a bike, a horse, a ladder.
Fall over means to fall to the ground after tripping or losing your balance: I tripped on the stairs and fell over. Fall off means to fall from something you were standing or sitting on: She fell off the chair.
Your turn
Anna is learning to ride, and she ___ the horse twice in her first lesson.
Show the answer
fell off — Anna was on the horse and ended up on the ground, so she fell from it: fell off the horse. Fell down just means fell to the ground; followed by the horse, it makes no sense.
Describe a time you or someone you know fell off something. Say what it was and how it ended.
When I was ten, I fell off a swing in the park and had to wear a bandage on my arm for a week.
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