come up short
idiom
: to not go far enough : be insufficient
The shot came up short of the target.
The state education budget came up short last year.
Examples of come up short in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Since 1937, 30 women had tried 47 times to win a Triple Crown race, only to come up short.
—
Joe Drape, New York Times, 10 June 2023
The conference had sent Oklahoma to the CFP four times and four times the Sooners had come up short.
—Dallas News, 2 Jan. 2023
Doug Mastriano, an election denier running for governor under the MAGA banner, looks likely to come up short against the moderate Democrat Josh Shapiro.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2022
If the Beavers come up short, there’s probably not enough time to catch and pass the Cardinal as Oregon State ultimately did.
—oregonlive, 11 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for come up short 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Drape, New York Times, 10 June 2023
The conference had sent Oklahoma to the CFP four times and four times the Sooners had come up short.
—Dallas News, 2 Jan. 2023
Doug Mastriano, an election denier running for governor under the MAGA banner, looks likely to come up short against the moderate Democrat Josh Shapiro.
—Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2022
If the Beavers come up short, there’s probably not enough time to catch and pass the Cardinal as Oregon State ultimately did.
—oregonlive, 11 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for come up short
Dictionary Entries Near come up short
Cite this Entry
“Come up short.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/come%20up%20short. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share