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fall short

[/fɔːl ʃɔːrt/]
verb (phrasal verb)
ficar aquém, não alcançar, ser insuficiente
1. to fail to reach or achieve a goal, standard, or expectation
The project fell short of our expectations.
O projeto ficou aquém de nossas expectativas.
2. to be insufficient in amount or quality
The budget fell short by $5,000.
O orçamento foi insuficiente em $5.000.
3. to fail to meet a requirement or standard
His performance fell short of what was required.
Seu desempenho não atendeu ao que era exigido.
NYC Slang
come up short, don't cut it
Synonyms
come up shortmiss the markfail to meetbe lackingdisappoint
Antonyms
exceedsurpassmeet expectationsachievesucceed

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
ficar aquém, não alcançar
most common usage in everyday Brazilian Portuguese
Rio de Janeiro
ficar curto, não dar conta
colloquial variant used in Rio de Janeiro
São Paulo
ficar aquém, não atingir a meta
business and formal contexts prefer this phrasing
Portugal
ficar aquém, não chegar a
European Portuguese uses similar construction

Related Idioms & Phrases

fall short of the mark
fall short of expectations
fall short of the goal
miss the mark
not make the cut
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