come up short

verb

Synonym of fall short.

“She fished in her purse for more quarters but came up short.”

Similar
fall short
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Meanings

verbcome up short (third-person singular simple present comes up short, present participle coming up short, simple past came up short, past participle come up short)

present singular third person comes up short · participle present coming up short · past came up short

  1. Synonym of fall short.

    She fished in her purse for more quarters but came up short.

    3 more examples

    They kept coming up short every time they closed out the register.

    The register kept coming up short every time they closed it out.

    "Avanti has never employed enough drivers to deliver the services it has promised. That is why, every day this year, the company has come up short."

    2023 April 5, “Network News: Conservatives accused of "rewarding Avanti's failure"”, in RAIL, number 980, page 6

    Synonyms: fall short

Synonyms & antonyms

verbSynonym of fall short.

Similar
fall short
Cite this entry
APA

come up short. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20short

MLA

“come up short.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20short. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “come up short,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/come%20up%20short.

Source: come up short on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.