fall behind
Britishverb
-
to drop back; fail to keep up
-
to be in arrears, as with a payment
-
Also, get behind.
-
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]
-
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.
Apple’s divergent path has become somewhat controversial on Wall Street, with some investors worried the company has fallen behind on AI because of underinvestment.
From MarketWatch
Apple’s divergent path has become somewhat controversial on Wall Street, with some investors worried the company has fallen behind on AI because of underinvestment.
From MarketWatch
In a speech to the European Parliament Tuesday, he pointed to export licences "issued in dribs and drabs" and said deliveries were falling behind schedule.
From Barron's
“In the age of artificial intelligence, falling behind by one day could mean falling behind by a whole generation,” South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said earlier this month in an address to lawmakers.
On both occasions, they failed the test and actually needed late equalisers to salvage anything after falling behind.
From BBC
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.
