fall behind
Britishverb
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to drop back; fail to keep up
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to be in arrears, as with a payment
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Also, get behind.
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Lag, fail to keep up, as in You really must keep up with the others; if you fall behind you could get lost . [First half of 1500s]
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Be financially in arrears, as in He fell behind in his payments . [Mid-1800s]
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.
Lehigh Acres lacks a local government and is straining to keep up with growth as roads, water lines and services fall behind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
All of those changes have consumer advocates concerned that more borrowers could fall behind on their payments, amid confusion over which plans they’re eligible for and which ones make the most sense for them financially.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
For instance, a clock traveling at 10 m/s for 57 million years would fall behind a stationary clock by about one second.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
But it took just three for them to fall behind, the Italians breaking down the defence far too easily to create an overlap for Ostuni Minuzzi down the right wing.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
I found myself reaching out to touch him, lest I fall behind.
From "Crispin: The Cross of Lead" by Avi
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.
