shortfall

noun

short·​fall ˈshȯrt-ˌfȯl How to pronounce shortfall (audio)
: 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
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.
The district projects a shortfall of approximately $51 million in next year’s budget, which must be approved by the district Board of Education by the end of June. Imani Cruzen, Twin Cities, 16 Mar. 2025 Supporters say the split would have helped the district address a budget crisis that includes a $35 million shortfall in its fund balance. Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Mar. 2025 Those maneuvers merely postpone the day of reckoning, because the administration and the Legislature’s budget analyst, Gabe Petek, project yearly multibillion-dollar shortfalls indefinitely. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2025 To the extent Medicare receives funding from the states, expect higher state and local taxes, property taxes, and consumption taxes like sales and use taxes, to cover the shortfall. Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shortfall

Word History

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of shortfall was in 1895

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Cite this Entry

“Shortfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortfall. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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