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fall in line

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fall in(to) line

 

1. Lit. to line up so that each person (except the first person) stands behind someone. The teacher told the students to fall in line for lunch. Hungry students fall into line very quickly.

2. Fig. to conform; to fall in(to) place. All the parts of the problem finally fell into line. Bill's behavior began to fall in line.

3. Fig. to behave in a manner similar to someone or something. You are expected to fall into line with the other people. We want you to fall in line.

See also: fall, line

fall in/into line

to start to accept the rules of a company or other organization (often + with ) Employees were expected to fall into line with the company's new practices or face dismissal.

See also: fall, line

fall in line

Also, fall into line. Adhere to established rules or predetermined courses of action. For example, This idea falls in line with the entire agenda, or It wasn't easy to get all the tenants to fall into line concerning the rent hike. A related term is bring into line, meaning "to make someone fit established rules," as in It was her job to bring her class into line with the others. These terms employ line in the sense of "alignment," a usage dating from about 1500.

See also: fall, line