FALLING BEHIND Synonyms: 96 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of falling behind Shifts in culture affected the appetite for all of this, and Victoria’s Secret went from being on top of the world to falling behind conversations about inclusivity and body positivity. — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 16 Oct. 2026 Castillo’s game-winning 28-yard touchdown run capped off a Brackenridge comeback in which the Eagles scored 21 unanswered points after falling behind 14-0 in the third quarter. — David Dekunder, San Antonio Express-News, 16 Oct. 2026 The 2006 law helped cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and fueled clean-energy growth, but California is falling behind its next targets. — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 The six-time major winner started slowly against her Polish compatriot, dropping an early service game and falling behind 2-0 before winning six straight games to take the first set. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Lose World Series in five to the Dodgers in ’24 after falling behind 3-0. — Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026 When aggressive payments lead to falling behind elsewhere A debt payoff plan should be challenging enough to make progress without resulting in the remainder of the monthly budget being unworkable. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 After falling behind 21-7 midway through the second quarter, Dante Reno rallied Yale (2-1) with an inspirational performance, completing 22 of 39 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns. — Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 3 Oct. 2026 In the race to bring AI to the enterprise, Microsoft has been criticized for falling behind Anthropic's Claude and OpenAI's ChatGPT, so Friday's exuberant market reaction is notable. — Matthew J. Belvedere,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for falling behind

marking time

Phrase

All the same, Adelaide believed in the importance of marking time.

— Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
The moon represents creation and destruction, rebirth, eternity, the feminine, time, marking time, mystery, the night, and secrets.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of marking time

Browse Nearby Words

falling back on

falling behind

falling down

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Falling behind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/falling%20behind. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of falling behind

phrase

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes