Fall behind
2 meanings · select one to explore
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Meaning 1 of 3
Definition
To be slower than others or not keep up with a schedule, plan, or responsibility
Example sentence
He fell behind on his car payments.
Real video usage
Three clips showing this meaning in natural speech.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Don’t see captions? Click the CC button on the video to turn them on.
Common collocations
Natural word pairings to memorize.
fall behind in school
fall behind in your studies
fall behind on your homework
fall behind on payments
fall behind on your bills
fall behind schedule
Separable usage
Can the object split the verb? Compare correct vs incorrect.
The runner fell behind in the last lap. ✅ (Correct)
The runner fell the last lap behind. ❌ (Incorrect)