fall behind
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fall behind
1. To not be as current with task or activity as one should or ideally would be. I fell behind with my schoolwork when I had the flu. I've fallen behind with that show—can you tell me what happened in the latest episode?
2. To be lacking in comparison to others' progress. If you've fallen behind the other people in your math class, you need to get a tutor—exams are coming up.
3. To move or otherwise act more slowly than someone else. I fell behind her early in the race and could just never catch up.
4. To not be up to date on one's current financial obligations. All of those medical bills have caused me to fall behind on the rent.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fall behind
(in something) and fall behind (on something); fall behind (with something); get behind (in something); get behind (on something); get behind (with something) to lag behind schedule in some kind of work or some other scheduled activity. You are falling behind in your car payments. I tried not to get behind on them. Please don't fall behind with your payments. I won't fall behind again.
fall behind
(someone or something) to lag behind someone or something. You have fallen behind everyone else in class. Our production fell behind that of the other production line.
fall behind
(with something) Go to fall behind (in something).
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
fall behind
Also, get behind.
1. Lag, fail to keep up, as in You really must keep up with the others; if you fall behind you could get lost. [First half of 1500s]
2. Be financially in arrears, as in He fell behind in his payments. [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fall behind
v.
1. To fail to keep up a pace; lag behind: Despite a strong performance in the beginning, he fell behind in the second half of the race and finished last.
2. To fail to maintain a desired level of performance: She missed two classes and fell behind in her reading assignments.
3. To be financially in arrears: After losing my job, I fell behind on the mortgage payments.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.