fall in

verb

1. to collapse; no longer act as a support

2. to adopt a military formation, esp as a soldier taking his place in a line

3. (of a lease) to expire

4. (of land) to come into the owner's possession on the expiry of the lease

5. (often foll by with)

   1. to meet and join

   2. to agree with or support a person, suggestion, etc

6. to make a mistake or come to grief

7. to become pregnant

1. the order to adopt a military formation

Idioms and Phrases

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 .

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 .

Related Words

• appear 
• arrive 
• become 
• enter 
• get 
• happen 
• hit 
• materialize 
• move 
• occur 
• reach 
• show 
• show up