fal|low /fæ loʊ/
1 ADJ Fallow land has been dug or ploughed but nothing has been planted in it, especially so that its quality or strength has a chance to improve. □ The fields lay fallow.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A fallow period is a time when very little is being achieved. □ There followed something of a fallow period professionally, until a job came up in the summer.
fa l|low deer (fallow deer ) N‑COUNT A fallow deer is a small deer that has a reddish coat which develops white spots in summer.
false ◆◇◇ /fɔː ls/
1 ADJ If something is false , it is incorrect, untrue, or mistaken. □ It was quite clear the President was being given false information by those around him. □ You do not know whether what you're told is true or false. □ His sister said he had deliberately given the hospital a false name and address. ● false|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ …a man who is falsely accused of a crime.
2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You use false to describe objects which are artificial but which are intended to look like the real thing or to be used instead of the real thing. □ …a set of false teeth.
3 ADJ If you describe a person or their behaviour as false , you are criticizing them for being insincere or for hiding their real feelings. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ 'Thank you,' she said with false enthusiasm. ● false|ly ADV [ADV adj, ADV after v] □ He was falsely jovial, with his booming, mirthless laugh. □ 'This food is divine,' they murmur, falsely.
fa lse ala rm (false alarms ) N‑COUNT When you think something dangerous is about to happen, but then discover that you were mistaken, you can say that it was a false alarm . □ …a bomb threat that turned out to be a false alarm.
false|hood /fɔː lshʊd/ (falsehoods )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Falsehood is the quality or fact of being untrue or of being a lie. □ She called the verdict a victory of truth over falsehood.
2 N‑COUNT A falsehood is a lie. [FORMAL ] □ He accused them of knowingly spreading falsehoods about him.
fa lse mo ve PHRASE You use one false move to introduce the very bad or serious consequences which will result if someone makes a mistake, even a very small one. □ One false move and I knew Sarah would be dead.
fa lse po si|tive (false positives ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A false positive is a mistaken result of a scientific test. For example, if the result of a pregnancy test is a false positive, it indicates that a woman is pregnant when she is not. □ …a high rate of false positive results.
fa lse sta rt (false starts )
1 N‑COUNT A false start is an attempt to start something, such as a speech, project, or plan, which fails because you were not properly prepared or ready to begin. □ Any economic reform, he said, faced false starts and mistakes.
2 N‑COUNT If there is a false start at the beginning of a race, one of the competitors moves before the person who starts the race has given the signal.
fal|set|to /fɔːlse toʊ/ (falsettos ) N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft in N , N n] If a man sings or speaks in a falsetto , his voice is high-pitched, and higher than a man's normal voice. □ He sang to himself in a soft falsetto. □ …a falsetto voice.
fal|si|fy /fɔː ls I fa I / (falsifies , falsifying , falsified ) VERB If someone falsifies something, they change it or add untrue details to it in order to deceive people. □ [V n] The charges against him include fraud, bribery, and falsifying business records. ● fal|si|fi|ca|tion /fɔː ls I f I ke I ʃ ə n/ (falsifications ) N‑VAR □ [+ of ] …recent concern about the falsification of evidence in court.
fal|ter /fɔː ltə r / (falters , faltering , faltered )
1 VERB If something falters , it loses power or strength in an uneven way, or no longer makes much progress. □ [V ] Normal life is at a standstill, and the economy is faltering.
2 VERB If you falter , you lose your confidence and stop doing something or start making mistakes. □ [V ] I have not faltered in my quest for a new future.
fal|ter|ing /fɔː ltər I ŋ/ ADJ A faltering attempt, effort, or movement is uncertain because the person doing it is nervous or weak, or does not really know what to do. □ Leaning on Jon, Michael took faltering steps to the bathroom.
fame /fe I m/
1 N‑UNCOUNT If you achieve fame , you become very well-known. □ The film earned him international fame. □ …her rise to fame and fortune as a dramatist.
2 claim to fame → see claim
famed /fe I md/ ADJ If people, places, or things are famed for a particular thing, they are very well known for it. □ [+ for ] The city is famed for its outdoor restaurants. □ …the famed Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado.
fa|mil|ial /fəm I liəl/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Familial means relating to families in general, or typical of a family. [FORMAL ] □ Gerard also took on wider familial responsibilities.
fa|mili|ar ◆◇◇ /fəm I liə r /
1 ADJ If someone or something is familiar to you, you recognize them or know them well. □ [+ to ] He talked of other cultures as if they were more familiar to him than his own. □ They are already familiar faces on our TV screens. □ …the familiar names of long-established local firms. ● fa|mili|ar|ity /fəm I liæ r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ Tony was unnerved by the uncanny familiarity of her face.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ with n] If you are familiar with something, you know or understand it well. □ Lesinko is quite familiar with Central Television. He worked there for 25 years. ● fa|mili|ar|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ [+ with ] The enemy would always have the advantage of familiarity with the rugged terrain.