fall short of the goal

fall short of the goal

To fail to meet or reach a goal, especially by a narrow margin or degree. The team was hoping to make it to the playoffs, but they fell just short of the goal. Every other salesperson has been exceeding their sales targets, but I keep falling short of the goal.
See also: fall, goal, of, short
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • fall flat
  • be done like a (dog's) dinner
  • stop at
  • stop at (something)
  • win the battle, but lose the war
  • fail at life
  • bombed out
  • bomb out (of something)
  • bomb out of something
  • bomb out on (something)
References in periodicals archive
If the legislators fall short of the goal, the courts do their best to close the gaps.
Those that fall short of the goal would have to pay an unspecified fee.
The report also identifies some areas in which Pilot School demographics fall short of the goal of representing the student population of the Boston school district.
Unfortunately, the end result may fall short of the goal. "In many districts [with middle school algebra], students finish their math requirement as early as their sophomore year and head off to college taking one or more years off from math.
They conclude that "interventions and policies directed at improving access to care during pregnancy may fall short of the goal of reducing preterm delivery because they cannot address [a] legacy of poor health status and health behaviors." Reducing the incidence of preterm delivery, they maintain, "may require attention to the health status of women before pregnancy."
Unfortunately, implementation of the existing climate pledges made by countries will fall short of the goals of the Paris Agreement and warm the planet by about 3-4 degrees Celsius this century, with devastating consequences for our planet, people and wildlife.
In addition to motivating constructive behavior, goal setting--especially when it involves rewards--can also motivate unethical behavior when people fall short of the goals they set or that are set for them.