lag behind

verb

lag behind

verb

1

To fail to keep pace; to fail to keep up with one's peers; to achieve or impress less than one's peers; to move more slowly than one's peers.

Liam was lagging behind in the race.
Until now these for the most part have lagged far behind those of Western Europe in speed; over the longer distances average speeds well below 40 m.p.h. have been the rule.1962 December, “Beyond the Channel: U.S.S.R.: Train speeds still rising”, in Modern Railways, page 418:

1 more example

As the country continues to wrestle with one of the greatest upheavals to everyday life in recent memory, passenger numbers have had a turbulent 'snakes and ladders' journey - and continue to lag behind pre-pandemic levels.2022 March 9, Stefanie Foster, “RAIL Supplement”, in RAIL, number 952, page 3:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.