fall in
Britishverb
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to collapse; no longer act as a support
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to adopt a military formation, esp as a soldier taking his place in a line
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(of a lease) to expire
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(of land) to come into the owner's possession on the expiry of the lease
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(often foll by with)
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to meet and join
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to agree with or support a person, suggestion, etc
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to make a mistake or come to grief
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to become pregnant
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Take one's place in formation or in the ranks, as in The sergeant ordered the troops to fall in . A related expression is fall into , as in They all fell into their places . [Early 1600s] Also see fall into .
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Sink inward, cave in, as in The snow was so heavy that we feared the roof would fall in . [Early 1700s] Also see under drop in ; the subsequent idioms beginning with fall in ; fall into .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Every month, the BLS updates the index to rise or fall in line with how prices have moved since the previous month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Belfast Chamber CEO Clare Guinness said the transformation of the city centre had caused people to "fall in love" with it.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Forever,” which tells the story of two teens living on opposite sides of the 10 Freeway who fall in love, is shooting its second season locally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Heavy precipitation is also expected to fall in Shanghai and parts of Fujian, Anhui and Jiangsu provinces through Monday afternoon, it said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
I tried to give my brother the same stare that Mama used on us when she expected us to fall in line, but it didn’t work.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
