fell
1 of 5noun (1)
ˈfel 
1
: skin, hide, pelt
2
: a thin tough membrane covering a carcass directly under the hide
fell
2 of 5verb
felled; felling; fells
transitive verb
1
a
: to cut, knock, or bring down
fell a tree
b
: kill
Her father was felled by a heart attack.
2
: to sew (a seam) by folding one raw edge under the other and sewing flat on the wrong side
fellable
ˈfe-lə-bəl
adjective feller noun
fell
3 of 5past tense of fall
fell
4 of 5adjective
1
a
: fierce, cruel, terrible
b
: sinister, malevolent
a fell purpose
c
: very destructive : deadly
a fell disease
2
Scotland : sharp, pungent
fellness noun
fell
5 of 5noun
dialectal British
: a high barren field or moor
Synonyms
Verb
- bowl (down or over)
- down
- drop
- floor
- knock down
- knock over
- level
- mow (down)
- prostrate
Adjective
- baleful
- deadly
- deathly
- fatal
- killer
- lethal
- mortal
- murderous
- pestilent
- terminal
- vital
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb using an ax to fell a tree He's strong enough to fell an ox. Adjective planning for the distribution of resources in case of some fell event war crimes committed by a fell and barbarous enemy
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German fel skin, Latin pellis
Verb
Middle English, from Old English fellan; akin to Old English feallan to fall — more at fall
Adjective
Middle English fel, from Anglo-French — more at felon
Noun
Middle English, from Old Norse fell, fjall mountain; akin to Old High German felis rock
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing fell
Kids Definition
fell 1 of 2
verb
ˈfel
felled; felling
: to cut or knock down
I felled a tree.
fell
2 of 2past tense of fall
fellness
noun
as in ferocity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- ferocity
- cruelty
- grimness
- savagery
- barbarousness
- sadism
- barbarity
- ferociousness
- inhumanity
- fierceness
- unfeelingness
- heartlessness
- cruelness
- savageness
- sanguineness
- ruthlessness
- brutality
- fiendishness
- sanguinity
- inhumanness
- pitilessness
- mercilessness
- truculence
- viciousness
- wantonness
- bloodlust
- murderousness
- malevolence
- bloodthirstiness
- atrocity
- malignity
- spitefulness
- maliciousness
- hatefulness
- meanness
- despitefulness
- oppressiveness
- hardhandedness
- atrociousness
- hard-heartedness
- cattiness
- harshness
- nastiness
- heavy-handedness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- warmth
- tenderness
- warmness
- leniency
- charitableness
- mercy
- clemency
- pity
- mercifulness
- warmheartedness
- sympathy
- humanity
- humaneness
- compassion
- kindness
- tenderheartedness
- benignity
- kindheartedness
- good-heartedness