free-fallv.
/ˌfriːˈfɔːl/, U.S. /ˌfriˈfɔl/, /ˌfriˈfɑl/ intransitive. To fall freely under the influence of gravity; to make a free fall. Also figurative.
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society > travel > air or space travel > parachuting > parachute [verb (intransitive)] > in part of jump before parachute opens
free-fall1956
1956 W. A. Heflin U.S. Air Force Dict. 221 Free-fall, to make a free fall.
1959 Time 17 Aug. 15/3 I free-fell an eternity.
1971 Daily Tel. 16 Aug. 9/7 When he pulled the cord he had been free-falling for 5,000 ft.
1989 R. Banks Affliction vi. 88 Twombley lay face down, with his arms and legs spread as if he were free-falling through space.
2000 M. Gayle Turning Thirty xi. 57 I've chosen the right place, I told myself, just as I was free-falling into sleep.
2003 Washington Post 1 June (Home ed.) a2/2 The billionaire mayor's popularity is freefalling toward the asphalt.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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