toe the line accept the authority, principles, or policies of a particular group, especially under pressure.

☞ Competitors in a race toe the line by placing their toes on the starting line.

2013Business Insider Khodorkovsky has been in jail since he was arrested in 2003 in what supporters say was part of a Kremlin campaign to punish him for political challenges to Putin, gain control of his oil assets and warn other tycoons to toe the line.