Showing results for come up short. Search instead for come+up+short.

come up short

VERB

lose

Synonyms

STRONGEST

decline drop fall

STRONG

miss succumb yield

WEAK

be humbled be outdistanced be sunk be taken to cleaners be the loser be worsted drop a bundle kiss goodbye lose out suffer defeat take a beating take the count take the heat

Antonyms

STRONGEST

ascend go up rise

WEAK

achieve confront face hold on to keep maintain meet succeed win

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.

Even in years with decent snow, streamflow has come up short.

From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026

By that measure, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Mr. Newsom have so far come up short.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

For 2025, global silver supply is forecast to come up short of global demand for a fifth year in a row, according to The Silver Institute.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

But, in truth, Clarke's side have come up short more often than not in recent times, even if performances have sometimes merited more.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2025

Mr. Ferro explained he’d come up short on the steel tubing.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

come up short

Example Sentences

Related Words