behind in
Idioms-
Also, behind on . Late with; not progressing quickly enough with. For example, The builders are behind on this project , or I can't take time out or I'll be too far behind in my work . The same idea is also expressed as behind time , where time means a schedule or appointed time, as in The bus should have been here; it's behind time . [Early 1300s] Also see fall behind .
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In arrears, owing more than one should. For example, Jane and Bob are behind in their payments, so the interest will mount up . [Late 1300s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The company said Opus 5 finds software flaws about as well as Mythos 5 but lags far behind in turning those flaws into something that could be weaponized into an attack.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
They had the worst record in the American League, putting them 15 ½ games behind in their division and six games out of the wild card.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Alphabet shares fell more than 4% on Thursday, reflecting concerns that the Google parent company is falling further behind in the artificial-intelligence race.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
France had never trailed in the tournament, but it fell behind in this one on Mikel Oyarzabal’s successful penalty shot in the 22nd minute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
As always when things got behind in the family or at the store, I was the one who took up the slack.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
