shortfall

[ shawrt-fawl ]

noun

1. the quantity or extent by which something falls short; deficiency; shortage.
2. the act or fact of falling short.

shortfall

/ ˈʃɔːtˌfɔːl /

noun

1. failure to meet a goal or a requirement
2. the amount of such a failure; deficiency

   a shortfall of £30m

Word History and Origins

Origin of shortfall¹

1890–95; short + fall; from verb phrase fall short

Example Sentences

UC officials told regents Wednesday that the 10-campus university system could face a $504.7-million financial shortfall in 2025-26 if the state makes good on warnings earlier this year to reduce higher education funding as it grapples with a budget deficit.

From Los Angeles Times

The US government is currently running an annual deficit - a shortfall between its spending and tax revenues - equal to around 6% of its economy.

From BBC

The hospice sector has warned that increased employer NI contributions and rising wage bills could create a shortfall of tens of millions of pounds next year.

From BBC

The shortfall was not for lack of trying.

From BBC

The University of South Wales said it was predicting a shortfall of about £20m in 2024-25 and the action it was taking to address this was likely to include some redundancies.

From BBC

Related Words

• deficiency
• flaw
• lack
• loss
• shortage
• shortcoming