fall behind

VERB

trail

Synonyms

STRONGEST

chase falter lag pull

STRONG

dally dangle dawdle delay dog drag draggle draw droop extend flag halt hang haul hunt linger loiter plod poke procrastinate pursue shadow shag spook spoor stalk straggle stream tail tarry tow trace track traipse trudge

WEAK

bedog bring up the rear drop back fall back follow a scent hang back hang down nose out poke along string along tag along take out after

Antonyms

STRONG

advance carry on complete finish forward go hasten hurry ignore leave leave alone let go push rise run away rush shorten speed stop tiptoe

WEAK

lead

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

fall behind

"But if we get complacent, then we can fall behind again because it's moving very, very fast."

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Kyle Chan, an expert on China at the Brookings Institution, said China appears increasingly willing to discuss an agreement as it appears to fall behind its U.S. competitors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Any lab that doesn't focus on alignment will fall behind," he said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Compute providers that lack a strong strategic relationship with Nvidia could fall behind, said Slowinski, who does not cover SpaceX.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

We fall behind them, and she says, “It was nice meeting you. Come back any time you want.”

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

fall behind

Example Sentences

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Related Words