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
Officials also declined to use the government's contingency fund to cover federal food assistance during the shortfall—a decision overturned last week by two federal judges who ruled the government must issue either partial or full SNAP benefits.
—
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
But the shortfall in retirement savings cuts across generations, income brackets, race, gender and political party lines, according to Gibson.
—Harriet Taylor, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Back in 2021, as schools across the country cut programs to offset shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic, FDU added two sports—men’s volleyball and women’s lacrosse.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Meghan Blanco, a private attorney on San Diego’s CJA panel, recently filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss one of her clients’ cases because of the funding shortfall.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortfall
Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
But the shortfall in retirement savings cuts across generations, income brackets, race, gender and political party lines, according to Gibson.
—Harriet Taylor, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
Back in 2021, as schools across the country cut programs to offset shortfalls from the COVID-19 pandemic, FDU added two sports—men’s volleyball and women’s lacrosse.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Meghan Blanco, a private attorney on San Diego’s CJA panel, recently filed a motion asking a judge to dismiss one of her clients’ cases because of the funding shortfall.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortfall
Noun
-
Mike Vrabel has breathed life into the New England Patriots, guiding them to a 7-2 start while riding a six-game winning streak despite fielding a roster that still has its fair share of deficiencies.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Opponents raised concerns about the cost of new construction and long-term debt, arguing that renovations could have addressed the library’s deficiencies.—
Daniel Hunt,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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With the transit system running a deficit, the County Board did not specifically restore any of those routes during its deliberations over County Executive David Crowley's budget.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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As the Association shares in the cost of running the clubhouse restaurant with the golf club, one member shared some concerns about the financial plan and whether it was projected to continue operating at a deficit.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortfall. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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