/ˈdaʊnfɔ:l ||; ˈdaυnˌfɔl/noun [sing] a loss of a person's money, power, social position, etc; the thing that causes this 衰落；垮台；引致衰落或垮台的原因: The government's downfall seemed inevitable. 这个政府看来免不了要倒台。Greed was her downfall. 贪婪是她失败的原因。