fall through the cracks

verb

To be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.

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Meanings

verbfall through the cracks (third-person singular simple present falls through the cracks, present participle falling through the cracks, simple past fell through the cracks, past participle fallen through the cracks)

present singular third person falls through the cracks · participle present falling through the cracks · past fell through the cracks · participle past fallen through the cracks

  1. idiomaticTo be missed; to escape the necessary notice or attention.

    Although more than two decades have passed, not a day goes by that I don't wonder how things could and should be different for the many children like Lydia who fall through the cracks because they are misdiagnosed, mistreated, or simply misunderstood.

    2008, Kari Dunn Buron, Pamela J. Wolfberg, Learners on the Autism Spectrum: Preparing Highly Qualified Educators

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
slip through the cracks
Cite this entry
APA

fall through the cracks. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20through%20the%20cracks

MLA

“fall through the cracks.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20through%20the%20cracks. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fall through the cracks,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fall%20through%20the%20cracks.

Source: fall through the cracks on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.