short of the mark

phrase

: not reaching the target that was aimed for
the bullet was/fell short of the mark
often used figuratively
Our fund-raising fell short of the mark.

Examples of short of the mark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Most of the mayhem is executed in great style, though some visual effects fall short of the mark. Richard Kuipers, Variety, 23 Mar. 2023 Romello McRae inbounded to Carr, who launched a fadeaway shot that was short of the mark and Toreadors players poured off their bench. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2023 James fell short of the mark against Dallas, scoring 24 points on 9-of-28 shooting. Dallas News, 13 Jan. 2023 Five out of six reps were on target and the one that wasn’t fell only slightly short of the mark. Matt Fitzgerald, Outside Online, 1 Mar. 2021

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Cite this Entry

“Short of the mark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20of%20the%20mark. Accessed 25 Jul. 2026.

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