fall short of goal

fall short of (one's) goal

To fail to meet or reach a goal, especially by a narrow margin or degree. Ugh, I fell just short of my goal of getting straight A's this semester. Our team has fallen short of our quarterly sales goal for the third time in a row.
See also: fall, goal, of, short
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

fall short of one's goal(s)

 and fall short of the goal(s); fall short of the record
to fail to achieve a goal. We fell short of our goal of collecting a thousand dollars. Ann ran a fast race, but fell short of the record.
See also: fall, goal, of, short
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • fall short of (one's) goal
  • goal
  • an own goal
  • wrong-foot
  • score an own goal
  • win the battle, but lose the war
  • mission creep
  • cross the aisle
  • kill (an amount of time)
  • kill time, a couple of hours, etc.
References in periodicals archive
When they fall short of goals, let them find a solution.
STARS
He's also insisting on a 4-2-3-1 system that could see Tottenham fall short of goals as they pursue a place in the top four.
MOR AGONY FOR ANDRE; Spurs chief has face like thunder after Morrison's leveller
The authors suggest, however, that people also "incur psychological costs from admitting goal failure" and that "psychological factors can motivate unethical actions after people fall short of goals. In particular," the authors note, "we expect people with unmet goals to be more likely to misrepresent their performances than people without specific goals."
Goal setting and cheating: why they often go together in the workplace
Under the rule introduced in 2003, the management of banks receiving public financial help will be disciplined if their net profits fall short of goals specified in their management improvement plans by more than 30 percent for two business years in a row.
FSA may discipline UFJ after analyzing business results
And despite the debate over who should lead the line, Argentina will not fall short of goals.
Football: It takes two to tango; If Juan Veron & Marcelo Bielsa hit the right notes this summer then they'll be dancing in the streets of Buenos Aires