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Glite Dictionary
to fall short

to fall short

64 3.9
Fail to reach the level people expect
  • phrasal verb
  • /fɔl ʃɔrt/
translation icon : quedar corto
  • In many situations, efforts to maintain health fall short of attainable goals.
  • fall short of expectations
  • fall short of the standard
  • fall short of the goal

But where most people fall short is on the consistent part.

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Examples

  • Many students fell short of the passing grade on the exam.

  • But where most people fall short is on the consistent part.

    Adam Erhart

  • And I think a lot of women feel fall short when it comes to that part.

  • Unfortunately, they have continued to fall short of their mission.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Much of this investment, of course, falls short of its intended effect.

  • We're all going to fall short, but we should all still strive.

    Ryan Pineda

  • But just know that I'm aware when I fall short and I will keep trying to do better.

  • The Bears had fallen short in their quest for a dynasty.

    '85: The Greatest Team in Football History (2016)

  • Firms were assigned export targets and were penalized if they fell short of these targets.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Thus, despite the trend toward schooling for women, their schooling fell short of that available for men.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

to fail
vsto fall short
∞ 1.0

Not do something you promised or should do

is limited to not reaching a required standard rather than omitting an action
to miss
vsto fall short
158 1.3

To be without something needed or expected

is specifically about not reaching a required standard or amount rather than mere lack
to fall short of
vsto fall short
25 4.4

To not reach the level people expect

is the shorter phrase stating the same failure without that preposition
to underperform
vsto fall short
20 5.3

To do worse than expected or needed

focuses on not reaching a required standard or amount rather than general poor performance
to underachieve
vsto fall short
1 5.5

Do less well than expected or than they can

is about not reaching a required standard or amount rather than falling below potential
to come short
vsto fall short
1 6.0

Fail to reach what is needed or expected

is the standard phrasing for failing to reach the expected level
to undershoot
vsto fall short
1 6.3

Fail to reach a target by falling short

is about not meeting a required standard or amount rather than hitting a target

Antonyms

to succeed
846 2.0

To reach a goal after trying hard

to live up to
224 3.5

To meet what people expect of you

How Close

to fall short
64 3.9
to miss
158 1.3
to fail
898 1.0

Surface Forms

fall short infinitive
falling short present participle
falls short third person singular
fell short past
fallen short past participle

Morphology

fall + short

The meaning 'to fail to reach the required or expected standard/amount' follows directly from combining 'fall' (to come down or come below) with 'short' (insufficient), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the MWE's sense. This compositional verb + adjective pattern is common in English and across languages (e.g. 'quedar corto', 'manquer', '不足する'), supporting a transparent classification.

Etymology

Fall short comes from a simple image: someone reaches for a high shelf but does not get there, so they fall and stop short of the shelf. That's why it means 'to fail to reach' the needed or expected amount or standard.