fall in
Britishverb
-
to collapse; no longer act as a support
-
to adopt a military formation, esp as a soldier taking his place in a line
-
(of a lease) to expire
-
(of land) to come into the owner's possession on the expiry of the lease
-
(often foll by with)
-
to meet and join
-
to agree with or support a person, suggestion, etc
-
-
to make a mistake or come to grief
-
to become pregnant
-
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 .
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.
Stocks often fall in sympathy after a rival or peer’s disappointing earnings.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
Tapping stockpiles likely accounts for around half of China’s recent fall in imports, energy analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
“People go out and fall in love with the Atlantic puffin because they are so charismatic, colorful and fun to watch,” says Gray.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Speaking in front of about 10,000 workers at VW's Wolfsburg factory, CEO Oliver Blume said it was likely that "about half of the adjustments required would fall in Germany".
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
I wanted to take my arms off the trunk and fold them to my chest like a mummy, loosen my thighs from their grip, and fall in a backwards swan dive to the bottom.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
