fall through/between the cracks
idiom
variants
or less commonly slip through/between the cracks
: to fail to be noticed, assisted, or included with others
Parents are concerned that children who have trouble in school will fall through the cracks in the school system.
The program is meant to help workers who may have slipped through the cracks because of their age.
Examples of fall through/between the cracks in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But as these apocalyptic alarms sound, concerns over how AI is further encoding misogyny into the fabric of society fall through the cracks.
—
Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
This seems to happen with some frequency after crashes, where lenders are dealing with lots of defaulted loans and particular cases fall through the cracks, or where loans are packaged and resold as a security but somebody down the line doesn't get notice of the default.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The Special Tribunal must be welcomed as an important step to address the crime of aggression, which continues to fall through the cracks of international legal norms.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Kevin Corinth acknowledges that red tape can cause problems and force some legitimate beneficiaries to fall through the cracks.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall through/between the cracks
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
This seems to happen with some frequency after crashes, where lenders are dealing with lots of defaulted loans and particular cases fall through the cracks, or where loans are packaged and resold as a security but somebody down the line doesn't get notice of the default.
—Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
The Special Tribunal must be welcomed as an important step to address the crime of aggression, which continues to fall through the cracks of international legal norms.
—Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Kevin Corinth acknowledges that red tape can cause problems and force some legitimate beneficiaries to fall through the cracks.
—Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall through/between the cracks
Cite this Entry
“Fall through/between the cracks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%20through%2Fbetween%20the%20cracks. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share