FELL SHORT Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

fell short

phrase

past tense of fall short

as in failed

to be unsuccessful The movie fell short of its viewers' expectations.

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as in fell flat

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

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Recent Examples of fell short An effort by the statewide county superintendents association to limit that authority fell short last week when its proposal was never introduced as a bill. — Chaewon Chung, Sacbee.com, 1 Sep. 2026 When applied to the creative industries, traditional solutions fell short for the average creator. — Coco Mao, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026 Both figures fell short of Wall Street consensus estimates cited by Levi & Korsinsky. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 31 Aug. 2026 Zoom Communications — Shares fell 7% after its third-quarter forecast fell short of analyst expectations. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026 The ball also fell short of the record for the most expensive sports ball. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 His play fell short of those expectations last season, although the Gamecocks’ play calling, offensive line and receivers did their quarterback few favors. — Dane Brugler, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 District 4 candidate Christina Romelus had 40% of the vote with all precincts counted but fell short of the 50% threshold. — Abigail Hasebroock, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026 Texas ultimately fell short of the 12-team CFP while the Buckeyes lost their last two games, the latter in the CFP quarterfinals. — ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell short

fell flat

Phrase

And contrary to popular belief, not all of last year’s big premieres fell flat at the Lido.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 2 Sep. 2026
The habeas corpus action represented a last-ditch legal effort by Maxwell to secure her release after her appeals fell flat.

— Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of fell flat

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fells

fell short

fell short (of)

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“Fell short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fell%20short. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of fell short

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