Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

come up short

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.17 in modern English

Syllables: come up short
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

1

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Synonym of fall short.

Example Sentences

"They kept coming up short every time they closed out the register."
"The register kept coming up short every time they closed it out."
"She fished in her purse for more quarters but came up short."
""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.""

Inflected Forms

comes up short (present, singular) coming up short (participle, present) came up short (past)

Phrases

come up roses come up with snake eyes come away with come out ahead come up with

Frequently Paired Words

come up roses come up with snake eyes come away with come out ahead come up with

Synonyms

fall short

Questions

What does come up short mean?: Synonym of fall short.

How to pronounce come up short

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “come up short”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “come up short”.
Repeat and practice — Say “come up short” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.