fall behind

fɔl bɪˈhaɪnd

fallen behind, fell behind

Definition

Synonyms

Conjugation

Definition of fall behind - Reverso English Dictionary

Phrasal verb

intr.

latenessbe late for a regular event

She tends to fall behind in her assignments.

lag behind

trail

performancebe below average in performance

He started to fall behind in his studies.

lag

trail

progressfail to keep up with others

They fall behind the leading team in the race.

fall back

lag

trail

finance

Rare

be in arrears with a payment

Rare

They fell behind on their mortgage payments.

default

delay

owe

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Expressions with fall

fall apart

break into pieces due to weakness or damage

The old chair finally fell apart when he sat on it..

fall back

move backward in a retreat

The troops had to fall back to a safer position.

fall for

develop romantic feelings for someone

He fell for her the moment they met.

break one's fall

prevent someone from falling

She reached out to break his fall.

break someone's fall

stop or reduce the force when someone is falling

He used his arms to break her fall.

don't fall for it

exp.

tell someone to avoid being taken in by a joke or scheme

Don't fall for it—he's just trying to get a reaction.

Expressions with behind

leave behind

to go away from a place without taking someone or something

He rushed out and left his phone behind..

drop behind

lag or linger behind others

He tends to drop behind during hikes.

get behind

fall behind in progress or schedule

She got behind on her homework this week.

behind my back

adv.

in secret without someone's knowledge

They planned the surprise party behind my back.

behind one's back

adv.

without someone's knowledge or permission

They planned the surprise party behind her back.

behind someone's back

adv.

in secret without someone's knowledge

They planned the surprise party behind her back.

behind the backs of

adv.

in a secretive way without someone's knowledge

They planned the surprise party behind the backs of their parents.

come up from behind

approach from the rear

The cyclist managed to come up from behind and win.

fall in behind

move to a position behind someone

The soldiers were ordered to fall in behind the leader.

get behind on

fail to do something by the expected time

I get behind on my homework every week.

Terms with fall behind included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

get behind

delay

fall behind in progress or schedule

lag

movement

fall behind in movement or progress

lose time

planning

fall behind schedule or planned time

lose ground

opposition

fall behind, giving up advantage in a contest or situation

Examples of fall behind in a sentence

Students who miss classes often fall behind.
She began to fall behind in her fitness goals.
The company might fall behind if it doesn't innovate.
Students who miss classes often fall behind in their studies.
He tends to fall behind when the workload increases.
She began to fall behind on her credit card bills.

The company fell behind in paying its suppliers.

View all translations of fall behind

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:prendre du retard, être à la traîne, ...
German:zurückfallen, nachstehen, ...
Italian:rimanere indietro, perdere terreno, ...
Spanish:retrasarse, atrasarse, ...
Portuguese:ficar para trás, atrasar-se, ...
Chinese:落后, 掉队, ...
Japanese:遅れを取る, 追いつけない, ...
Arabic:تَأَخَّرَ, تَرَاجَعَ, ...
Hebrew:לְפַגֵּר, לְהִישָּׁאֵר מֵאָחוֹר, ...
Russian:отставать, отстать, ...
Ukrainian:відставати, погіршуватися, ...
Hindi:पीछे रह जाना, पीछे रहना, ...
Bengali:পিছিয়ে পড়া, অগ্রগতিতে পিছিয়ে থাকা, ...
Catalan:endarrerir-se, anar endarrerit, ...
Czech:zpožďovat se, zaostávat, ...
Danish:komme bagud, sakke agterud, ...
Dutch:achterblijven, achter raken, ...
Greek:καθυστερώ, υστερώ, ...
Hungarian:lemaradni, gyengébben teljesíteni, ...
Khmer:យឺតយ៉ាវ, ដើរយឺតជាងគេ, ...
Korean:뒤처지다, 뒤떨어지다, ...
Persian:عقب افتادن, کم آوردن, ...
Polish:zalegać, zostawać w tyle, ...
Portuguese (BR):ficar para trás, atrasar, ...
Romanian:a rămâne în urmă, a pierde ritmul, ...
Swedish:hamna efter, vara i efterskott, ...
Thai:ตามไม่ทัน, ล้าหลัง, ...
Turkish:geri kalmak, geride kalmak, ...
Vietnamese:chậm trễ, tụt hậu, ...

Browse the dictionary entries starting with “f”:

fall backward

fall backwards

fall below

fall between the cracks

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Definition of fall behind - Reverso English Dictionary

Phrasal verb

Expressions with fall

Expressions with behind

Terms related to fall behind

Terms with fall behind included in their meaning

Examples of fall behind in a sentence

View all translations of fall behind

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery