fall short of the goal
To fail to meet or reach a goal, especially by a narrow margin or degree. The team was hoping to make it to the playoffs, but they fell just short of the goal. Every other salesperson has been exceeding their sales targets, but I keep falling short of the goal. It's good to have goals, but you also can't be devastated when you fall short of the goal. Failure is just part of life.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.