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

With the national power shortfall exceeding 3,000 megawatts, the government has imposed sweeping cuts, exempting only essential services such as hospitals and pharmacies. — Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

How Social Security benefit cuts could be avoided Congress could close the funding shortfall through higher revenue, benefit changes, or a combination of reforms. — Fernanda Tronco, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026

When the United States wound down its aid to Ukraine in 2025, European governments made up most of the shortfall and have since committed to financing Kyiv’s war effort through 2027. — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

In their open letter, the filmmakers estimated that the collapse of Canal+’s agreement alone would result in a €750 million ($841 million) shortfall for French cinema over five years. — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Oct. 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