shortfall
noun
short·fall
ˈshȯrt-ˌfȯl 
: a failure to come up to expectation or need
a budget shortfall
also
: the amount of such failure
a $2 million shortfall
Examples of shortfall in a Sentence
a shortfall in milk production
Recent Examples on the Web
Without that assist, the operating budget would have shown a shortfall of $66.9 million.
—
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
So if there is a problem at the factory of one company, there is not an easy way to scale up production to make up for a shortfall.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025
The Army faced a severe recruitment shortfall in 2022, missing its 60,000-enlistment target by 15,000.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
The course is part of a series of extraordinary adaptations that America’s military is making amid one of its greatest recruiting shortfalls since the draft was abolished, more than fifty years ago.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shortfall 
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.
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2025
So if there is a problem at the factory of one company, there is not an easy way to scale up production to make up for a shortfall.
—Dylan Scott, Vox, 5 Feb. 2025
The Army faced a severe recruitment shortfall in 2022, missing its 60,000-enlistment target by 15,000.
—Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Newsweek, 4 Feb. 2025
The course is part of a series of extraordinary adaptations that America’s military is making amid one of its greatest recruiting shortfalls since the draft was abolished, more than fifty years ago.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for shortfall
Dictionary Entries Near shortfall
Cite this Entry
“Shortfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortfall. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share