short
20 ENTRIES FOUND:
- short (adjective)
- short (adverb)
- short (noun)
- short (verb)
- short circuit (noun)
- short list (noun)
- short run (noun)
- short shrift (noun)
- short story (noun)
- short temper (noun)
- short term (noun)
- short time (noun)
- end (noun)
- fuse (noun)
- long (noun)
- nothing (adverb)
- notice (noun)
- order (noun)
- stick (noun)
- sweet (adjective)
shorter;
shortest
shorter;
shortest
Britannica Dictionary definition of SHORT
1
a
:
extending a small distance from one end to the other end
:
having little length
:
not long
-
Her hair is short. = She has short hair.
-
It's just a short distance from here. = It's just a short distance away.
-
the shortest rope
-
One of my legs is slightly shorter than the other.
-
The coat is short on him. = The coat is too short for him. [=the coat should be longer in order to fit him correctly]
b
:
not great in distance
-
a short walk/drive/trip
-
This way is shorter.
c
:
having little height
:
not tall
-
He is short for his age.
-
a short girl
2
a
:
lasting or continuing for a small amount of time
:
brief
-
a short delay/vacation/speech
-
the shortest day of the year
-
Life's too short to worry about the past.
-
The movie/meeting was very short.
-
You have done a lot in a short space/period of time.
-
a short burst of speed
-
I've only lived here for a short time/while.
-
It's just a short walk from here. [=you can walk there from here in a few minutes]
-
She has a very short memory. [=she forgets about events, conversations, etc., soon after they happen]
b
always used before a noun
:
seeming to pass quickly
-
She has made great progress in a few short years.
-
He visited for two short weeks.
3
:
having few pages, items, etc.
-
a short book/poem
-
I have a list of things I need to do before we go, but it's pretty short.
-
short sentences
4
of clothing
:
covering only part of the arms or legs
-
boys in short pants
-
a shirt with short sleeves [=sleeves that end at or above the elbows]
-
a short skirt [=a skirt that ends above the knees and especially several inches above the knees]
5
a
:
existing in less than the usual or needed amount
-
We should hurry. Time is short. [=we don't have much time]
-
Money has been short lately. [=I haven't had enough money lately]
-
Gasoline is in short supply. [=little gasoline is available]
-
(US) We can be ready on short notice. = (Brit) We can be ready at short notice. [=very quickly]
-
(US) Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. = (Brit) Thank you for meeting with me at such short notice. [=even though you did not know that I wanted to meet with you until a short time ago]
b
not used before a noun
:
having less than what is needed
:
not having enough of something
— often + on
-
I can't pay the bill. I'm a little short (of money). [=I don't have enough money]
-
The team was short (by) two players. = The team was two players short.
-
short on time/food/money
-
She's a little short on patience today. [=she is feeling somewhat impatient]
-
He's not short on self-confidence. [=he has plenty of self-confidence]
-
He was long on criticism but short on useful advice. [=he was very critical but did not give any useful advice]
c
:
less than
— used in the phrase nothing short of to give emphasis to a statement or description
-
His recovery is nothing short of a miracle. = His recovery is nothing short of miraculous. [=his recovery is a miracle; his recovery is miraculous]
d
:
not reaching far enough
-
The throw to first base was short.
-
a short throw
6
:
made smaller by having part removed
— often + for
-
“Doc” is short for “doctor.”
-
“Ben” is short for “Benjamin.”
-
“www” is short for “World Wide Web.”
7
not used before a noun
:
talking to someone in a very brief and unfriendly way
:
rudely brief
-
I'm sorry I was short [=abrupt, curt] with you.
8
linguistics, of a vowel
— used to identify certain vowel sounds in English
—
compare 1long 6
-
long and short vowels
-
the short “a” in “bad”
-
the short “e” in “bet”
-
the short “i” in “sit”
-
the short “o” in “hot”
-
the short “u” in “but”
a short fuse
draw the short straw
fall short
in short order
:
quickly and without delay
-
In short order the group set up camp.
-
The papers were organized in short order.
make short work of
short and sweet
:
pleasantly brief
:
not lasting a long time or requiring a lot of time
-
That's the way we like the meetings—short and sweet.
-
I've got a few announcements, but I'll keep it short and sweet. [=I will talk for only a few minutes]
short of breath
◊ If you are short of breath, it is difficult for you to breathe.
-
He is overweight and gets short of breath [=out of breath] just walking to his car.
-
She was short of breath and unable to talk after her run.
the short end of the stick
-
I was surprised by the shortness of the meeting.
-
One symptom is shortness of breath.
2
short
/ˈʃoɚt/
adverb
shorter;
shortest
2
short
/ˈʃoɚt/
adverb
shorter;
shortest
Britannica Dictionary definition of SHORT
1
:
to or at a point that is not as far as expected or desired
:
to a point not reaching what is needed for something
— often + of
-
The ball fell short.
-
He threw the ball short.
-
He began to run/answer and then pulled up short. [=stopped suddenly and did not finish]
-
We made as many cookies as we could, but we came up short [=we had fewer than we needed to have] and there weren't enough for everyone.
-
Time is running short. [=there is little time left to do, accomplish, etc., something]
-
He finished in 30 seconds—just one second short of the world record. [=he finished in 30 seconds and the world record is 29 seconds]
-
She quit school a month short of [=before] graduation.
-
We came up short of [=we did not achieve] our goal.
-
Sales for the month came short of our estimates. [=we sold less than we had predicted we would sell]
-
The attack was just short of a full invasion.
-
She's just short of six feet tall. [=she is almost six feet tall]
-
The performance was just short of perfection. = The performance was (only a) little short of perfect.
-
The running back was stopped short of the goal line. [=was stopped just before the goal line]
-
He stopped well short of the line. [=long before reaching the line]
-
The boss said that she was unhappy with some employees, but she stopped short of naming which ones. [=but she did not say which employees she was unhappy with]
-
We have plenty of shirts left, but we're running short of [=running out of] smaller sizes. [=the available supply of smaller sizes is almost used up]
2
:
in a sudden manner
-
The hunter stopped short [=suddenly] when he saw the deer.
-
I was wandering through the exhibit when I was brought up short by a striking photograph. [=when a striking photograph made me suddenly stop]
3
:
for or during a short time
-
Her career was short-lasting.
4
:
in a way that makes something short
-
Keep the grass mowed short.
-
Her dark hair was cut/cropped short. [=she had short hair]
caught short
cut short
:
to end (something) earlier than expected
-
We had to cut our vacation short.
-
The speech was cut short. [=the speech was interrupted and not finished]
fall short
sell (someone or something) short
short of
:
except for (something)
:
other than (something)
-
Short of replacing the motor, I have tried everything to fix the car.
-
Short of a catastrophe [=unless something terrible happens], I think we'll succeed.
taken/caught short
British, informal
:
suddenly needing to use a toilet when there is no toilet available
3
short
/ˈʃoɚt/
noun
plural
shorts
3
short
/ˈʃoɚt/
noun
plural
shorts
Britannica Dictionary definition of SHORT
1
shorts
[plural]
a
:
pants that end at or above the knees
—
see color picture on this page;
see also bermuda shorts
-
a pair of shorts
-
Your shorts are dirty.
-
short shorts [=shorts that cover very little of the legs]
b
:
boxer shorts
2
[count]
:
a short movie
-
The short before the main movie was very funny.
3
4
5
for short
:
in a shorter form
:
as an abbreviation
-
My name is Benjamin, or Ben for short.
in short
:
in a few words
— used to indicate that you are saying something in as few words as possible
-
The trip was, in short, a disaster.
-
In short [=in summary], the company is doing extremely well.
the long and (the) short of it
4
short
/ˈʃoɚt/
verb
shorts;
shorted;
shorting
4
short
/ˈʃoɚt/
verb
shorts;
shorted;
shorting
Britannica Dictionary definition of SHORT
1
[+ object]
:
to cause (something) to have a short circuit
:
short-circuit
— often + out in U.S. English
-
The lightning shorted the TV.
-
Water shorted out the flashlight.
2
[no object]
:
to stop working because of a short circuit
:
short-circuit
— often + out in U.S. English
-
The hair dryer must have shorted.
-
The toaster oven shorted out.
