as in deficiency
formal
a failure to get what is expected or needed
a shortfall in milk production profit shortfalls
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Recent Examples of shortfall
The shortfall, her chief financial officer Ashley Groffenberger said last week, was driven by overspending on snow removal due to two major winter storms and public safety overtime.
—
Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Those decisions come after the city laid off 169 employees and eliminated 600 vacant positions in August in an effort to address a $200 million budget shortfall.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government is pushing a divisive conscription bill that would entrench the existing exemption for ultra-Orthodox men from mandatory military service, when the Israeli army publicly acknowledges a shortfall of 15,000 soldiers during wartime.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Executives cited several reasons for the shortfall including disruption in the Middle East and rising oil prices, which could boost its costs or hurt consumer demand.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortfall
Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Those decisions come after the city laid off 169 employees and eliminated 600 vacant positions in August in an effort to address a $200 million budget shortfall.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 6 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government is pushing a divisive conscription bill that would entrench the existing exemption for ultra-Orthodox men from mandatory military service, when the Israeli army publicly acknowledges a shortfall of 15,000 soldiers during wartime.
—Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026
Executives cited several reasons for the shortfall including disruption in the Middle East and rising oil prices, which could boost its costs or hurt consumer demand.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortfall
Noun
-
This phase is designed to address deficiencies identified during initial operations, complete technical refinements, and implement maintenance or system adjustments before the platform transitions into a regular deployment cycle.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
-
At Pebble Creek at Lake Mary, 85 apartment units were condemned due to life-threatening deficiencies, and at the Rialto Apartments near Sand Lake Road, nearly 400 residents were evacuated due to structural instability.—
Keegan A. Berry,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Kendrick was the only current school board member to vote against the series of budget cuts intended to address Hickman Mills’ $14 million deficit.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
-
After the Pacers cut the deficit to 77-67 with six straight points midway through the third, the Timberwolves closed the quarter on a 25-5 run that made it 102-77 and sealed the victory.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortfall. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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