Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fall flat on one's face

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.15 in modern English

Syllables: fal-l flat on one's -face
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fall headlong forwards, notionally hitting one's face on the ground.

verb

To fail miserably, especially in an obvious or embarrassing way.

Example Sentences

"I tripped over my shoelace and fell flat on my face."
"Tripping over a fallen limb, I fall flat on my face, confirming that tropical soils have all the organic cushion of macadam."
"He tried to start his own business but fell flat on his face."

Inflected Forms

falls flat on one's face (present, singular) falling flat on one's face (participle, present) fell flat on one's face (past) fallen flat on one's face (participle, past)

Questions

What does fall flat on one's face mean?: To fall headlong forwards, notionally hitting one's face on the ground.

How to pronounce fall flat on one's face

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