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coming 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.

However, Rose said coming up short this year was more frustrating than his play-off defeat 12 months ago.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The S&P 500’s rebound ran out of steam on Tuesday, with the index again coming up short of closing at the 7,000 milestone, as investors await data on U.S. jobs and inflation.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

The undefeated Hoosiers weren’t used to coming up short.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

"I really, really wanted to go to the DP World Tour and I was actually working really hard towards that goal, but somehow I was coming up short a little bit," said the 34-year-old.

From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025

My brain felt muddled as I tried to remember a time that I’d written my name on this, but I kept coming up short.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin




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