Running behind means to be late or delayed. People typically use this phrase if they are late for an appointment. For example, “I’m just calling to let you know I’m running behind. I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.”
People also use running behind to avoid admitting they’re going to miss a deadline. You might hear a Supply Chain manager say, “Production is running behind with their delivery, and we need to calculate that impact on our ship to trade date.”
