shortfall

American  

[shawrt-fawl] / ˈʃɔrtˌfɔl /

noun

1. the quantity or extent by which something falls short; deficiency; shortage.

2. the act or fact of falling short.

---

shortfall British  

/ ˈʃɔːtˌfɔːl /

noun

1. failure to meet a goal or a requirement

2. the amount of such a failure; deficiency

   a shortfall of £30m

---

Etymology

Origin of shortfall

1890–95; short + fall; from verb phrase fall short

Example Sentences

The projected shortfall in Social Security and Medicare alone is about $88 trillion over the same period.

From Barron's

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is soliciting private donations from wealthy residents and companies to address a projected budget shortfall of over $900 million.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thousands of independent service stations are facing supply shortfalls as "panic buying is driving demand", John Njogu, CEO of the Petroleum Outlets Association of Kenya, told AFP.

From Barron's

Although her division is far from fully staffed, Ms. Dhillon says she is making up its lawyers’ shortfall with numerous hires from private firms.

From The Wall Street Journal

Electric supply shortfalls have prevented data-center projects from connecting to the grid, so AI hyperscalers are now building their own power generation, mostly natural gas plants.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• deficiency
• flaw
• lack
• loss
• shortage
• shortcoming