fall short of

Idioms  

1. Prove inadequate or insufficient. For example, His skills fell short of the required standard. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

It would fall short of a full-scale attack that could inspire a major retaliation.

From The Wall Street Journal

Other huge fish, like the one below, were also pulled out of the river but fell short of first place.

From BBC

The vacation rental company’s fourth-quarter profit fell short of analysts’ expectations.

From Barron's

The Tyra Banks we see in “Reality Check” knows she had pull then, and even now, but falls short of admitting she could use it altruistically instead of solely for profit.

From Salon

Still, Tesla’s annual deliveries in 2025 fell short of its performance a year earlier, marking the company’s second consecutive year of falling sales.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• baffle
• deceive
• disconcert
• disenchant
• dishearten
• disillusion
• dissatisfy
• dumbfound
• fail
• hamper
• mislead