free fall

Noun

freefall (countable and uncountable, plural freefalls)

1. A 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...
2. A 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. (broadly, figuratively) A rapid, uncontrolled decline or worsening.
   • As civil war continues in Iraq, the U.S. president's approval ratings are in freefall.

See all 5 meanings of freefall