come up short
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.
Ballmer, like Iger, had come up short in earlier bids for teams, and wasn’t going to let it happen again with the Clippers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
Inside the local university’s gym, the Harlem Globetrotters had come up short.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
International Business Machines warned last week that its quarterly revenue had come up short as customers drained their budgets on artificial-intelligence hardware, leaving less room to invest in software.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Egypt arrived in North America as World Cup underachievers, having come up short in their previous three appearances on the global stage, failing to win any of their seven matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
I dive across the room, but with one eye swelled shut I have no depth perception and come up short.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
