COMES UP EMPTY Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

comes up empty

phrase

present tense third-person singular of come up empty

as in fails

to be unsuccessful We searched for a viable candidate but came up empty.

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for comes up empty

falls short

Phrase

For every movie that Skydance falls short of, the studio must pay $30 million to health and pension funds, split among the guilds.

— Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Under the terms of its settlement agreement, if Paramount falls short of its annual quotas, it’ll be fined $30 million per film, 90% of which will be paid out to film workers and 10% to the National Association of Attorneys General.

— Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of falls short

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comes up

comes up empty

comes up with

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“Comes up empty.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/comes%20up%20empty. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of comes up empty

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