fɔːl bɪˈhaɪnd
neutral
beginner
- Base verb:
- fall
- Particle:
- behind
- Separable:
- No
What does "fall behind" mean?
- To fail to keep up with others or with a schedule
- To fail to make payments on time
- To make less progress than expected
Examples
- I fell behind with my work while I was sick.
- Don't fall behind on your mortgage payments.
- She fell behind the other runners in the race.
- The project has fallen behind schedule.
- It's easy to fall behind if you miss too many classes.
How to use it
'Fall behind' is common in academic, work, and financial contexts. 'Fall behind on' payments is standard for financial obligations. Opposite of 'keep up with'.
Similar expressions
lag
trail
delay
fall back
Opposites
keep up
get ahead
lead
Related phrasal verbs
- fall down
To drop to the ground from a standing position
- fall apart
To break into pieces
- fall through
To fail to happen or be completed as planned
- fall off
To become detached and drop from something
- fall out
To have an argument and stop being friendly
- fall over
To lose balance and drop to the ground
Use it in a practice answer
Try "fall behind" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.