Synonyms of fell short

fell short

phrase

past tense of fall short

1

as in failed

to be unsuccessful

The movie fell short of its viewers' expectations.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• failed
• collapsed
• flopped
• folded
• missed
• fell flat
• struggled
• came to grief
• flamed out
• struck out
• laid an egg
• came up empty
• washed out
• came a cropper
• bombed
• died on the vine
• flunked
• tanked
• fell on one's face
• foundered
• cratered
• declined
• crashed
• slipped
• went under
• slumped
• skidded
• crumbled
• floundered
• waned
• miscarried
• sank
• misfired
• imploded
• self-destructed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• went over
• worked out
• went
• succeeded
• delivered
• came off
• clicked
• panned out
• cooked
• flourished
• prospered
• thrived
• prevailed
• won
• triumphed

2

as in fell flat

to go wrong

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fell flat
• came to grief
• failed
• miscarried
• came a cropper
• stalled
• misfired
• missed
• died
• flopped
• struggled
• folded
• washed out
• crashed
• flamed out
• broke down
• conked (out)
• fizzled
• foundered
• flunked
• skidded
• slumped
• slipped
• waned
• floundered
• busted
• bombed
• declined
• tanked

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevailed
• succeeded
• flourished
• prospered
• thrived

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of fell short

Wednesday’s Senate vote, among its last before senators go home to campaign ahead of the election, fell short of the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to advance with a tally of 57-43. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026

The language was removed, but some faculty said his assurances fell short. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Lawmakers have scrambled to respond, but earlier attempts repeatedly fell short. — Justin Papp, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

Access to mental health services also fell short of benchmarks, and some foster kids are still sleeping in child welfare offices and other unlicensed centers because other, more secure placements weren’t available, the report showed. — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 22 Sep. 2026

But in other areas, the tobacco settlement fell short of its goals. — Susan Morrisey, STAT, 15 Sep. 2026

The 2025 Toyota bZ was also an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award winner, but the 2026 version fell short of the organization's most stringent recent round of testing. — Keith Laing, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026

In a 49 to 50 vote, the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to move forward, with all Democrats and four Republicans opposing. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

China’s trade growth accelerated last month, but data showing imports fell short of analysts’ expectations will likely add to calls for Beijing to rebalance its economy ahead of a high-stakes leaders summit with the US this month. — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026