Synonyms of falling behind

falling behind

phrase

present participle of fall behind

as in delaying

to move or act slowly

He lost his footing and fell behind in the relay.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• delaying
• lingering
• dragging
• crawling
• poking
• dropping behind
• hanging fire
• marking time
• strolling
• playing
• creeping
• dragging one's feet
• taking one's time
• loitering
• lagging
• fiddling (around)
• shuffling
• puttering (around)
• fooling around
• hanging (around or out)
• dawdling
• moping
• stalling
• dillydallying
• pottering (around)
• diddling
• lollygagging
• messing around
• monkeying (around)
• tarrying
• lounging
• staggering
• slowing (down or up)
• dallying
• idling
• trifling
• shilly-shallying
• loafing
• sauntering
• ambling
• decelerating
• inching
• lolling
• easing
• temporizing
• procrastinating
• lumbering
• plodding
• filibustering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• flying
• rushing
• racing
• running
• tearing
• speeding
• ripping
• hurrying
• whirling
• hastening
• scurrying
• dashing
• whizzing
• bolting
• scudding
• whisking
• coursing
• scrambling
• barreling
• scooting
• zipping
• rocketing
• darting
• bowling
• hurtling
• hotfooting (it)
• careering
• running
• hustling
• speeding (up)
• humping
• stampeding
• jogging
• galloping
• trotting
• accelerating
• breezing
• catching up
• sprinting
• quickening
• overtaking
• outpacing
• outstripping
• outrunning
• fast-forwarding

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of falling behind

Young women are falling behind young men in the entry-level job market—and AI isn’t the main culprit. — Kristin Stoller, Fortune, 27 July 2026

The Jayhawks appeared dazed after falling behind 10-1 early before 3,192 enthusiastic fans. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026

Developers who focus only on today's building standards risk falling behind. — James Nelson, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

After falling behind 18-10 on Michaela Onyenwere's 3 with 33 seconds left in the first, the Valkyries responded with a 23-6 run on the way to a 33-28 halftime lead. — ABC News, 18 July 2026

After falling behind, the Argentines made a furious push to tie the game. — Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026

With Meta’s models falling behind, becoming a cloud provider keeps it relevant in AI and buys it time to develop its own technology. — Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 July 2026