behind the curve
idiom
chiefly US, disapproving
: slower about doing something than other people, companies, etc.
We are behind the curve when it comes to advances in medicine.
Examples of behind the curve in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a season when the team knew kickoffs would become more valuable because of touchback rule changes, the Chiefs were behind the curve on kickoff placement and freeing up their returners in the open field.
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Jesse Newell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Betsy Vandercook, then president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition, told Mora that Chicago was still way behind the curve among peer cities in terms of recycling at the time.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Once again, as kids increasingly use new tech to hurt one another, adults are behind the curve, said Sergio Alexander, a research associate at Texas Christian University focused on emerging technology.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
National voices are loudly debating whether Swinney’s methods and staff moves — including staff turnover and schematic questions on both sides of the ball — have left the program predictable and behind the curve.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
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Jesse Newell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Betsy Vandercook, then president of the Chicago Recycling Coalition, told Mora that Chicago was still way behind the curve among peer cities in terms of recycling at the time.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Once again, as kids increasingly use new tech to hurt one another, adults are behind the curve, said Sergio Alexander, a research associate at Texas Christian University focused on emerging technology.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2025
National voices are loudly debating whether Swinney’s methods and staff moves — including staff turnover and schematic questions on both sides of the ball — have left the program predictable and behind the curve.
—Rowan Fisher-Shotton, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behind the curve
Cite this Entry
“Behind the curve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behind%20the%20curve. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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