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.
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
“It may come up short at first, but sometimes a film like this will continue to do well for the rest of the summer,” Robbins said.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
Even in years with decent snow, streamflow has come up short.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
“It’s an opposition that he sees as unimpressive and having come up short, so why would you just turn it over to them?”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 5, 2026
“He’s dying for the bread order to come up short, you know. You should throw a roll in the trash one day, just to make him happy.”
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
