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Glite Dictionary
to fall into a routine

to fall into a routine

1 3.5
Start doing the same things in the same order every day
  • phrasal verb
  • /fɔl ˈɪntu ə ruˈtin/
translation icon : caer en una rutina
  • After starting our new jobs, we quickly fell into a routine of waking up early and commuting together.
  • fell quickly into a routine
  • each day fell into a routine

I found that I've fallen into a routine where the morning I get up and try and empty my inbox of emails never happens.

Examples

  • They fall into a routine.

    Blog text (18)

  • Sure, we were still affectionate and loved each other, but we fell into a routine and were constantly running errands for the apartment and doing things that seemed more like chores rather than spending quality time together or enjoying date-like activities.

    Blog text (24)

  • Quickly, we fell into a routine.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • We fell into a routine.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • Life has fallen into a routine.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Their life in the first weeks on Mill Street began to fall into a routine.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • If I do something every day, I tend to fall into a routine, and routine has a bad reputation.

    Blog text (34)

  • Before long, Morgan's days fell into a routine.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • It's so easy to fall into a routine of doing or using something; then it's hard for us to notice when we start to increase our usage.

    Blog text (16)

  • I found that I've fallen into a routine where the morning I get up and try and empty my inbox of emails never happens.

    Team Coco

Synonyms

to lock into a routine
vsto fall into a routine
4.2

Do the same things at the same time every day

is a gradual start of a regular pattern that happens without conscious choice

Antonyms

to vary
95 2.6

Make something a little different

to break free from
11 4.1

To escape limits or control and become independent

How Routine

to habituate
2 6.7
to fall into a routine
1 3.5

Surface Forms

fall into a routine infinitive
falling into a routine present participle
falls into a routine third person singular
fell into a routine past
fallen into a routine past participle

Morphology

fall + into + a + routine

The meaning 'to begin to follow a regular and often unvaried pattern' is directly derivable from 'fall' (enter/change of state) + 'into' (into a state) + 'routine' (habitual pattern). The construction 'fall into X' is a common, compositionally transparent change-of-state pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would likely infer this meaning.

Etymology

Fall into a routine paints a picture of someone slipping into a well-worn path or groove, where the verb fall into shows moving into place and routine is a regular way of doing things. So it means 'to begin to follow a regular, often unchanging pattern'.