1
a
: having little length
b
: not tall or high : low
2
a
: not extended in time : brief
a short vacation
b
: not retentive
a short memory
c
: expeditious, quick
made short work of the problem
d
: seeming to pass quickly
made great progress in just a few short years
3
a
of a speech sound
: having a relatively short duration
b
: being the member of a pair of similarly spelled vowel or vowel-containing sounds that is descended from a vowel that was short in duration but is no longer so and that does not necessarily have duration as its chief distinguishing feature
short i in sin
c
of a syllable in prosody
(1)
: of relatively brief duration
(2)
4
: limited in distance
a short trip
5
a
: not coming up to a measure or requirement : insufficient
in short supply
b
: not reaching far enough
the throw to first was short
c
: enduring privation
d
: insufficiently supplied
short of breath
short of cash
short on brains
7
8
: payable at an early date
a short loan
9
a
: containing or cooked with shortening
b
of metal
: brittle under certain conditions
10
a
: not lengthy or drawn out
a short speech
b
: made briefer : abbreviated
11
a
: not having goods or property that one has sold in anticipation of a fall in prices
b
: consisting of, relating to, or engaging in the sale of securities or commodities that the seller does not possess or has not contracted for at the time of the sale
short sale
a short seller
12
: near the end of a tour of duty
1
: in a curt manner
2
: for or during a brief time
short-lasting
3
: at a disadvantage : unawares
caught short
4
: in an abrupt manner : suddenly
the car stopped short
5
: at some point or degree before a goal or limit aimed at or under consideration
the bombs fell short
quit a month short of graduation
6
: clean across
the axle was snapped short
7
: by or as if by a short sale
1
: the sum and substance : upshot
2
a
: a short syllable
b
: a short sound or signal
3
shorts plural
a
: a by-product of wheat milling that includes the germ, fine bran, and some flour
b
: refuse, clippings, or trimmings discarded in various manufacturing processes
4
a
: knee-length or less than knee-length trousers
—usually used in plural
b
shorts plural
: short drawers
c
: a size in clothing for short men
5
a
: one who operates on the short side of the market
b
shorts plural
: short-term bonds
6
7
8
9
a
b
: a brief story or article (as in a newspaper)
shorted; shorting; shorts
1
transitive + intransitive
: short-circuit
The electrical system also received upgrades: Most rooms had only three or fewer outlets, and plugging in multiple devices usually shorted the circuit.—
Steven Wyman-Blackburn
—often used with out in U.S. EnglishSteven Wyman-Blackburn… microscopic particles of airborne dust are large enough to short out the chip's circuitry.—Michael Rothschild
Michael Rothschild… were sabotaging the system by deliberately entering incorrect information into the computers and, if all else failed, hosing the computers down until they shorted out.—John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick2
transitive
informal
: shortchange, cheat
When she returned minutes later, she handed me a twenty-dollar bill and a five. No change and no receipt, which meant I couldn't call her on the fact that she'd shorted Henry by sixty-six cents.—Sue Grafton
Sue Grafton3
transitive
finance
: to sell (a security) short in expectation of a fall in prices
a heavily shorted stock
Today [in 2003], only two per cent of all United States stock-market shares are shorted, and even with looser restrictions short selling is likely to remain uncommon.—James Surowiecki
James SurowieckiSynonyms
Adjective
Adverb
Verb
Examples of short in a Sentence
Adjective
One of my legs is slightly shorter than the other.
He is short for his age.
the shortest day of the year
Life's too short to worry about the past.
The movie was very short.
You have done a lot in a short space of time.
a short burst of speed
I've only lived here for a short time.
She has made great progress in a few short years.
He visited for two short weeks.
Adverb
He threw the ball short.
the bicyclist ahead of me unexpectedly pulled up short and I unavoidably plowed into him
Noun
The short before the main movie was very funny.
Verb
The lightning shorted the TV.
The hair dryer must have shorted.
Recent Examples on the Web
James Dziezynski, Outside Online, 10 Nov. 2024
His short fiction has appeared in a variety of national literary magazines and anthologies.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
Peter Follows, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Democrats have more recently been the victim of this effect, as frequent winners of the popular vote recently but falling short in the Electoral College.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Weighing-in at 3.9 ounces for a size medium, these lightweight shorts are designed with slightly stretchy, durable polyester fabric that dries quickly and wicks moisture well.
—Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2024
Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
That rumor is enough to get Petra inquiring about creditors looking to offload debt and finding out that Pierpoint is the debt creditors are most desperate to get rid of, eventually leading to them shorting Pierpoint.
—Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for short 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The tasteful memorial features a short labyrinth walkway that ends at the sculpture of a miner holding a pick-axe and a harp, one of Ireland’s national symbols.
—James Dziezynski, Outside Online, 10 Nov. 2024
His short fiction has appeared in a variety of national literary magazines and anthologies.
—Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
Adverb
Companies frequently fall short in achieving their goals—not for lack of ideas but due to insufficient emphasis on the effective execution of those ideas.
—Peter Follows, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Democrats have more recently been the victim of this effect, as frequent winners of the popular vote recently but falling short in the Electoral College.
—Jared Gans, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
But don’t forget a tank top or a pair of shorts, either.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
Weighing-in at 3.9 ounces for a size medium, these lightweight shorts are designed with slightly stretchy, durable polyester fabric that dries quickly and wicks moisture well.
—Emily Pennington, Outside Online, 6 Nov. 2024
Verb
Revenue rose just under 1% year over year to $4.86 billion in the third quarter, just short the $4.87 billion expected, according to analyst estimates compiled by LSEG.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2024
That rumor is enough to get Petra inquiring about creditors looking to offload debt and finding out that Pierpoint is the debt creditors are most desperate to get rid of, eventually leading to them shorting Pierpoint.
—Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for short
Articles Related to short
Dictionary Entries Near short
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
short
1 of 4 adjective1
: having little length or height : not long or tall
2
a
: not long in time : brief
a short delay
b
: not great in distance
a short walk
3
: not remembering for long
a short memory
4
: of, relating to, or being one of the vowel sounds \ə, a, e, i, u̇\ and sometimes \ä\ and \ȯ\
5
a
: not coming up to the regular standard or to what is needed
gave short measure
in short supply
b
: not reaching far enough
the throw was short
c
: not having enough
short of cash
6
: easily upset
has a short temper
7
8
: cut down to a brief length
a short tax form
"doc" is short for "doctor"
short
2 of 4 adverb1
: with suddenness
stopped short
2
: so as not to reach as far as expected
fell short of the mark
short
3 of 4 noun1
: a short signal or sound (as in Morse Code)
2
plural
a
: pants that reach to the knees or not as far as the knees
b
: short underpants
3
short
4 of 4 verbLove words? Need even more definitions?
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