shortfall

noun

short·​fall ˈshȯrt-ˌfȯl 

: a failure to come up to expectation or need

a budget shortfall

also : the amount of such failure

a $2 million shortfall

Examples of shortfall in a Sentence

a shortfall in milk production

Recent Examples on the Web

In its latest move to address a $45 million shortfall, the University of North Texas made sweeping plans to eliminate and consolidate dozens of academic programs. —Jessica Ma, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026

Borenstein warned that the energy shortfall could press the brakes on economic output worldwide. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026

To cope with the shortfall of oil supply from the Middle East, Washington last week lifted sanctions on Russian oil that was already in tankers, a move that caught Kyiv by surprise, Semafor reported. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 19 Mar. 2026

The extra borrowing needed to cover the shortfall will cause federal debt held by the public to rise from 99% of GDP to a record 120%. —Robert Burgess, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shortfall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale