shortage

noun

ˈshȯr-tij How to pronounce shortage (audio)
Definition of shortagenext
as in lack
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number there was a troubling shortage of supplies for the troops overseas this year

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of shortage But by the early 2000s, discussions shifted to concerns about physician shortages. — Nicole McCann, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2025 POWs from the Axis powers stayed in several camps in the region and performed a variety of jobs to help fill the manpower shortage created by the war. — Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2025 Administrators, teachers and school personnel were consistently overwhelmed by staff shortages, behavioral concerns and funding that never seemed to reach the classroom. — Aziza Butler, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025 The cybersecurity industry is facing a critical shortage of skilled professionals as threats from nation-state actors and cybercriminals escalate fueled by easy access to AI tools. — Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shortage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortage
  1. lack
  2. deficiency
  3. scarcity
  4. deficit
Noun
  • Still, the Mets have largely been able to overcome a lack of production at the bottom because of a strong bullpen.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2025
  • At the event, which was organized by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office, McCain expressed remorse for prior domestic abuse allegations and his lack of public involvement in the search for his missing wife.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Definition of lack
Noun
  • Early signs of magnesium deficiency include fatigue, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, and weakness.
    — Johna Burdeos, Health, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Korsakoff syndrome is a type of dementia that usually occurs as a late-stage effect of thiamine deficiency, especially if Wernicke encephalopathy is not treated.
    — Brigid Dwyer, Verywell Health, 31 Mar. 2025
Definition of deficiency
Noun
  • Become visibly in demand through authentic scarcity.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Hamas currently benefits from resource scarcity, diverting humanitarian aid and exerting control over its distribution.
    — Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of scarcity
Noun
  • Houston's suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke's title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2025
  • The Gators came back from a nine-point second-half deficit to win 79-73, riding a 34-point performance by Walter Clayton Jr. By night’s end, that comeback was but a footnote.
    — Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of deficit

Browse Nearby Words

short
shortage
shortages
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Cite this Entry

“Shortage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortage. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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Nglish: Translation of shortage for Spanish Speakers

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