Synonyms of fall behind

fall behind

phrase

as in delay

to move or act slowly

He lost his footing and fell behind in the relay.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• delay
• linger
• drag
• crawl
• poke
• drop behind
• mark time
• hang fire
• stroll
• play
• creep
• lag
• loiter
• stall
• shuffle
• drag one's feet
• dawdle
• take one's time
• diddle
• mope
• lounge
• tarry
• lollygag
• fiddle (around)
• dillydally
• fool around
• potter (around)
• putter (around)
• dally
• idle
• hang (around or out)
• monkey (around)
• mess around
• stagger
• slow (down or up)
• shilly-shally
• trifle
• loaf
• saunter
• inch
• amble
• ease
• decelerate
• loll
• lumber
• temporize
• procrastinate
• filibuster
• plod

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• course
• race
• fly
• speed
• run
• career
• hurry
• rush
• tear
• rocket
• bolt
• barrel
• hasten
• rip
• dash
• zip
• breeze
• scurry
• whiz
• bowl
• whirl
• whisk
• scramble
• hump
• run
• stampede
• dart
• speed (up)
• hustle
• hotfoot (it)
• gallop
• trot
• jog
• accelerate
• scoot
• sprint
• catch up
• scud
• hurtle
• quicken
• overtake
• outrun
• outstrip
• outpace
• fast-forward

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fall behind

And yet when Winston took over for Dart in Monday’s first quarter, and as the Giants’ offense floundered while falling behind big, Beckham was nailed to the bench. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 25 Sep. 2026

After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter, the Falcons (1-2) scored 27 unanswered points and led by at least two possessions for the entire final quarter. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Indiana seemingly followed suit on Thursday after falling behind by 30 in the third quarter, limiting Clark's floor time and seeing Sophie Cunningham held scoreless across 16 minutes. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

But the summer of 2026 saw both studios fall behind A24 in market share for the summer. — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026