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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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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 fell short 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 After losing his seat to redistricting, Jones fell short in his bid for a third term in Congress against Republican Newt Gingrich. — Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Writing in the aftermath of the French Revolution, Schiller argued that the revolution fell short of true liberation because its emphasis on reason led to the dismissal of feeling. — The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 5 Aug. 2026 At the June meeting, City Manager Jennifer Maguire acknowledged the city fell short in engaging the community affected by the increases. — Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 But with Meredith’s case, the UIL fell short of expectations, and that raises a few issues with the athletic eligibility process as a whole. — Charles Baggarly august 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Aug. 2026 The company's earnings topped Wall Street's estimates, but its revenue fell short of analysts' expectations. — Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026 But in documents released Monday in advance of a hearing this week where FDA advisers will weigh in on the drug, the agency said the study fell short. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 28 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fell short

fell flat

Phrase

Just last year, Nate Bargatze entered Emmys night as a peak-of-fame comedian, and ended the evening as the object of mass audience disgruntlement after a running joke about winners’ lengthy speeches taking money away from children in need fell flat.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
But when the game still mattered, when the starters were out there, the Panthers fell flat.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 15 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 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of fell short

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