Definition

1. Verb (Phrasal Verb):
   • To become part of; to become a member of a group or organization: To enter into or join a collective body, such as a club, team, or organization.
   • To take one's assigned place in a military formation or line: A command or action for soldiers to move into their proper positions in a line or rank.
   • To collapse inward; to cave in: To break down or give way, either physically (like a structure) or metaphorically (like a plan or system).

Usage Examples

• Verb (To join a group):
  • After much consideration, she decided to fall in with the local environmental society.
  • He fell in with a group of artists after moving to the city.
• Verb (Military command):
  • The sergeant ordered the recruits to "Fall in!" for roll call.
  • The soldiers fell in quickly when the alarm sounded.
• Verb (To collapse):
  • The old mine shaft is dangerous and could fall in at any moment.
  • After the scandal, the company's public image began to fall in.

Advanced Usage

• "fall in with": To agree with, associate with, or conform to a person, group, or set of ideas.
  • He was new in town and easily fell in with the wrong crowd.
  • Her plans fell in perfectly with ours, so we decided to travel together.

Variants and Related Words

• Cave in (verb): To collapse or yield. Often used interchangeably with 'fall in' for physical structures.
  • The tunnel caved in due to the explosion.
• Enlist (verb): To enroll or join, especially in the armed forces. Related to the 'join' sense.
  • He decided to enlist in the army after graduation.

Synonyms

• Join: To become a member of.
• Line up: To form or get into a line.
• Collapse: To fall down or give way suddenly.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Fall apart: To break into pieces, either literally or figuratively (e.g., a plan fails, an object disintegrates).
  • The old book fell apart in my hands.
• Fall out: To leave one's place in a military formation; to have a disagreement.
  • The soldiers were told to fall out after the inspection.

Related Idioms

• Fall in line: To conform to rules or expectations.
  • After the new manager arrived, all employees had to fall in line with the updated policies.
• Fall into place: To become organized or clear; to work out satisfactorily.
  • Once we had the key piece of evidence, everything else fell into place.

Verb

1. become part of; become a member of a group or organization
   • He joined the Communist Party as a young man
2. to take one's place in a military formation or line
   • Troops fall in!
3. break down, literally or metaphorically
   • The wall collapsed
   • The business collapsed
   • The dam broke
   • The roof collapsed
   • The wall gave in
   • The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice