fall behind
Slip in standing
To fall behind is to fail to keep pace with others or with expectations.
Students fall behind in their studies, runners fall behind in a race, workers fall behind on deadlines.
The phrase implies a standard or group that continues advancing while you lag: We fell behind on our mortgage payments.
Don't fall behind—the group won't wait.
Period of falling behind
- trailPath through wilderness
- dawdleLinger without purpose
- straggleFall behind scattered
- slowdownReduction in pace
sluggish · drag · plod · shuffle · amble · saunter · keep up · distance
Enforced waiting period
- setbackReverse in progress
- stallEnclosed compartment or delay
- stagnateCease to develop
- deadlineTime limit for completion
milestone · schedule · overdue · tardy · behindhand · backlog · catch up · slippage
Delay action unnecessarily
lax · neglect · overdue · backlog · pile up · accumulate · outstanding · unfinished
Path through wilderness
- loseFail to keep
- laggardOne falling behind
- underdogPresumed loser beforehand
- overtakePass while moving faster
surpass · outpace · leaderboard · standings · ranking · race · pace · catch up
lag
Period of falling behind
slowdown · sluggish · drag · plod · shuffle · amble · saunter · keep up · distance · gap
delay
Enforced waiting period
deadline · milestone · schedule · overdue · tardy · behindhand · backlog · catch up · slippage · timeline
procrastinate
Delay action unnecessarily
slack · lax · neglect · overdue · backlog · pile up · accumulate · outstanding · unfinished · pending
trail
Path through wilderness
overtake · surpass · outpace · leaderboard · standings · ranking · race · pace · catch up · gap
overwhelmed
Defeated by sheer volume
- difficultyState of being hard
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
- adversitySevere difficulty or suffering
obstacle · setback · failure · frustration · strain · grapple · challenge · burden · pressure · stress
- motion idiomsin motion, on the move, on the go, move forward, move along
- falling shortdeficient, lacking, failure, gap, inferior
- failingfail, fails, collapse, flop, bomb
- idlingidle, idled, loaf, loafed, laze
- losing phrasesgame over, you lose, lose out, defeated, beaten
- mental lapseslapse, forget, slip, misplace, overlook
fall behindpull ahead
Gain a leading position
surge ahead · get ahead · take the lead · move ahead · forge ahead
fall, behind, fell, fallen, falling, falls, downfall, waterfall, nightfall