fall behind

phrase

1

: to lag behind

The slower hikers fell behind the group.

2

: to be in arrears

He fell behind in his car payments.

Examples of fall behind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Meanwhile, Pasquantino finished behind Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker, Massey fell behind Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young and Loftin came in second to Caleb Durbin of the Boston Red Sox. — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026

Nakase changed her starting lineup in a move that paid huge dividends after Golden State fell behind 2-1, inserting Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes and bringing Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini off the bench. — Janie McCauley, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026

Florida fell behind 24-0 after committing 60 yards of penalties, Philo suffered two interceptions and Jones coughed up a fumble that Georgia linebacker Chris Cole returned 66 yards for a touchdown 29 seconds before halftime. — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Oct. 2026

The problem is Gemini is falling behind the leading AI chatbots and now Google Search monetization fears are back. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for fall behind

• countersigned
• disinclined
• humankind
• interlined
• intertwined
• mastermind
• misaligned
• nonaligned
• predefined
• realigned
• reassigned
• recombined