Synonyms of falls short

falls short

phrase

present tense third-person singular of fall short

1

as in fails

to be unsuccessful

The movie fell short of its viewers' expectations.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fails
• collapses
• flops
• folds
• falls flat
• struggles
• lays an egg
• misses
• bombs
• strikes out
• comes to grief
• comes up empty
• tanks
• flames out
• comes a cropper
• founders
• falls on one's face
• washes out
• dies on the vine
• flunks
• craters
• declines
• crashes
• goes under
• slips
• skids
• slumps
• crumbles
• flounders
• wanes
• misfires
• miscarries
• sinks
• implodes
• self-destructs

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• goes over
• works out
• goes
• comes off
• succeeds
• delivers
• clicks
• pans out
• cooks
• thrives
• flourishes
• prevails
• prospers
• wins
• triumphs

2

as in falls flat

to go wrong

The biography falls short by neglecting to explore the subject's faults as well as his virtues.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• falls flat
• fails
• comes to grief
• misfires
• stalls
• comes a cropper
• miscarries
• dies
• misses
• struggles
• flops
• founders
• folds
• crashes
• breaks down
• tanks
• flames out
• bombs
• skids
• wanes
• flounders
• slips
• flunks
• washes out
• slumps
• fizzles
• busts
• conks (out)
• declines

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevails
• succeeds
• thrives
• flourishes
• prospers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of falls short

Under the terms of its settlement agreement, if Paramount falls short of its annual quotas, it’ll be fined $30 million per film, 90% of which will be paid out to film workers and 10% to the National Association of Attorneys General. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

When performance falls short, our instinct is often to add more training, information, oversight, processes or competency development. — Dr Natalie Callis, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

EmpCo, as the directive is also known, falls short of the Green Claims Directive’s full scope. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2026

When that falls short, Liliom’s life quickly devolves, leaving audiences to wonder if bad deeds are a question of character or circumstance. — Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

The city, however, maintains that failing to microchip or spay or neuter a dog violates city ordinances but falls short of abuse. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

If the tax revenue tied to the stadium project falls short, the city could need to cover the cost from other sources — potentially taking money away from other city priorities. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2026

An insurance deal falls short of promises Kennedy again took to the HHS stage in June 2025, this time with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, to make what was billed as a game-changing announcement. — Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026

Max Meizlish, a former Treasury official and research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said outright that Monday’s announcement falls short of the objective. — Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026