return to the fold

Idioms  

1. Come back to a group after an absence, as in Matthew taught for a number of years, but now he's returned to the fold as vice-president of the firm. This term employs fold in the sense of “an enclosure for sheep,” which has been used figuratively since the first half of the 1300s.

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Example Sentences

Ten Hag felt he handled a delicate situation sympathetically, which included arranging for Sancho to work with coaches he knew in the Netherlands before his return to the fold.

From BBC • Mar. 15, 2026

He has spent the years since chewing over his vendetta against McCain, long after the senator passed away, putting him well beyond any effort to return to the fold.

From Salon • Nov. 15, 2024

“I didn’t think it would actually happen,” Reilly said of Robinson’s return to the fold.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 2, 2023

In 2012, press reports indicated that Lachlan Murdoch had become more involved in his father’s empire and might soon return to the fold.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2021

There was speculation that Burkhart would defect again and return to the fold of his uncle, but this time Burkhart answered the prosecution’s questions forthrightly.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann