English Meaning & Definitions
To fail to keep up with a pace, schedule, or standard set by others or by one's own obligations.
- “If you miss too many classes, you will quickly fall behind in your coursework.”
- “The company began to fall behind its competitors due to a lack of innovation.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “fall behind”.
The phrase combines the Old English 'feallan' (to drop, descend, or collapse) with 'behind' (from the Old English 'behindan,' meaning at the back of). Historically, it evolved from literal physical movement—dropping back from a group—to a metaphorical sense of failing to maintain a required pace or standard in tasks, payments, or progress.
Imagine a race where you trip and 'fall' down, leaving you 'behind' the other runners.
Frequently Asked Questions About “fall behind”
1. What is the meaning of “fall behind” in English?
In English, fall behind (verb) is defined as: “To fail to keep up with a pace, schedule, or standard set by others or by one's own obligations.”.
2. How do you use “fall behind” in a sentence?
“If you miss too many classes, you will quickly fall behind in your coursework.”
3. What are English synonyms of “fall behind”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “fall behind”?
The phrase combines the Old English 'feallan' (to drop, descend, or collapse) with 'behind' (from the Old English 'behindan,' meaning at the back of). Historically, it evolved from literal physical movement—dropping back from a group—to a metaphorical sense of failing to maintain a required pace or standard in tasks, payments, or progress.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →A measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.