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# shortfall

noun (a shortfall, shortfalls)

«shortfall» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

An amount by which something is less than what is needed or expected: a shortfall of £50. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#m1)

### In the lessons

In maths, shortfall = what you need − what you have: if a trip costs $200 and the class raised $165, the shortfall is $35. In news and business a shortfall in money, food or staff means not enough.

### Examples

- The school has a shortfall of £500 for the new playground. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#x1)
- We needed 30 chairs but had 24 — a shortfall of 6. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#x2)
- A shortfall in rain caused a drought. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#x3)
- The charity had a shortfall in donations this year. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#x4)
- The hospital is facing a shortfall of nurses. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#x5)
- She covered the shortfall with her pocket money. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/#x6)

### Note

One word: short + fall. In maths: shortfall = target − actual (never negative; if actual is more, there is a surplus instead). Opposite: surplus.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «shortfall» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shortfall/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«shortfall» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/shortfall.html) on Mova free.