behind the eight ball

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.

A day never passed without me fully aware that we now lived our lives squarely behind the eight ball.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

That, he said, led to massive delays, cancellations and "put everyone behind the eight ball when weather actually did hit on Sunday and was further compounded by FAA staffing shortages Sunday evening."

From Reuters • Jun. 27, 2023

“It feels depressing every time you see one of those reports, because it just shows us, again, how far behind the eight ball we are,” Jayapal said.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2023

After team facilities closed for an extended stretch, Scott “came back in a tough spot,” Tarp said, “so he was kind of behind the eight ball on that one.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 13, 2022

"No matter what we do for old 'Blast-off' we'll wind up behind the eight ball."

From Danger in Deep Space by Glanzman, Louis