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Glite Dictionary
to fall into old habits

to fall into old habits

1 3.6
Start acting the same as before after trying to change
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : volver a viejos hábitos
  • He worked hard to improve his time management skills, but he often fell into old habits of procrastination.

So it could the excuse that I could see some people saying is like, you know, they're falling into old habits, old high school habits.

Examples

  • So it could the excuse that I could see some people saying is like, you know, they're falling into old habits, old high school habits.

    Smosh Pit

  • Even though she was determined to quit smoking, she found herself falling into old habits whenever she was stressed.

  • Smart said his team falls into old habits and fails to move the ball at times.

    Blog text (16)

  • With the best of intentions, we make mistakes, falling into old habits of thought and action.

    Blog text (3)

  • "But Jessica fell into old habits.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Jared went on to discuss how Sam and Dean will have to avoid falling into old habits.

    Blog text (27)

  • It was like falling into old habits, wanting to eat sandwiches all the time.

  • After trying to eat healthier for months, I ended up falling into old habits and started eating junk food again.

Synonyms

to fall back
vsto fall into old habits
13 4.2

To begin an old bad habit again after trying to change

is about beginning the same behavior again after trying to improve
to lapse
vsto fall into old habits
8 5.2

To return to a previous bad habit

is used for longer or repeated returns rather than brief slips
to backslide
vsto fall into old habits
2 7.5

To start doing old bad habits again after making progress

is the same return to old behaviour but without moral focus
to slip back to old ways
vsto fall into old habits
  • Informal
5.7

Gradually return to old habits, often bad ones

is not limited to gradual return and can mean sudden recurrence

Antonyms

to improve
∞ 1.0

To make something better

How Habitual

relapse
33 6.5
to fall into old habits
  • Informal
1 3.6
reverting
5.8

Surface Forms

fall into old habits infinitive
falling into old habits present participle
falls into old habits third person singular
fell into old habits past
fallen into old habits past participle

Morphology

fall + into + old + habit

The sense 'to begin behaving as before' is directly derivable from combining 'fall' (enter/change of state) + 'into' (into a state) with 'old habits' (previous repeated behaviours). This is a common, partly metaphorical but transparent composition found across languages (e.g. Spanish 'caer en', French 'retomber dans'), so a B1 learner who knows the parts would very likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

The idiom fall into old habits comes from the image of a person literally falling into a deep, worn path or groove made by repeated steps. So to fall into old habits means 'to begin behaving in the same way as before', often because the old way is easier and more familiar.