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.
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
Astronomers have claimed that the closure of Lovell and the e-MERLIN network will mean that Britain will fall behind in a field that was pioneered at Jodrell Bank.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The personnel changes signal to Wall Street that Alphabet may be losing out on AI talent to competing companies, which may mean it could fall behind in technological advances.
From Barron's ● Jun. 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
Josie saw Max slow down and fall behind the others.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
