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.
On the flip side, Belgium at $725 billion and Ireland at $714 billion would be economies he could fall behind if the Musk industrial complex fell into a bear market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Ford endured awkward headlines after filing a patent for cars that could drive themselves away from owners who fall behind on loan payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Kyle Chan, an expert on China at the Brookings Institution, said China appears increasingly willing to discuss an agreement as it appears to fall behind its U.S. competitors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
"Any lab that doesn't focus on alignment will fall behind," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
“He said we can’t afford to fall behind when we play Carver,” Goldy said.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
