fall behind

/fˈɔːl bɪhˈaɪnd/

to fall behind

MAIN VERB

retreat

synonyms : drop off

antonyms : gain

to make less progress than other competitors

synonyms : dawdle

*** to fail to remain level with a group of people that is moving forwards

*** Be late (for a regular event)

Examples

1. They have been bringing a knife to a gunfight for years, refusing to adapt to new technologies and falling behind their competitors.

2. The home team fell behind by a large margin in the first half, but you can expect them to come out with their guns blazing in the second half.

3. After falling behind in the polls, the candidate's new policies helped them gain ground with voters.

4. Despite their best efforts, our team wasn't able to draw first blood in the game and fell behind early.