1
as in little
having relatively little height
a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brief
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
regrettably, the art supplies are short this year, so you'll have to share
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in crisp
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
short pastry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
I didn't mean to be so short with you by responding to your request with a snippy "I'm busy!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bicyclist ahead of me unexpectedly pulled up short and I unavoidably plowed into him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in feature
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of short
Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Cotton linters—the short fibers left on cottonseed after ginning—can be processed into nitrocellulose, a highly volatile, nitrogen-rich material known as guncotton that’s used as a primary ingredient in solid rocket propellants for ballistic missiles.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 27 Apr. 2026
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
The mac and cheese delivered on creaminess, but otherwise ran short on flavor.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has been defeated in three elections, as well as Peter Obi, who rallied the youth vote in the most recent 2023 poll before ultimately falling short, agreed to the pact during a meeting in a town near Lagos over the weekend.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Cotton linters—the short fibers left on cottonseed after ginning—can be processed into nitrocellulose, a highly volatile, nitrogen-rich material known as guncotton that’s used as a primary ingredient in solid rocket propellants for ballistic missiles.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
The touchdown, an 18-yard reception from redshirt senior quarterback Madsen, saw Jones pull short to receive an underthrown ball and haul the ball into his chest with one hand.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
The mac and cheese delivered on creaminess, but otherwise ran short on flavor.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
The Canucks, who entered the game 58 points behind the Avalanche, scored in all sorts of ways, including 29 seconds into the game, short-handed, on the power play and into an empty net to snap a six-game slide.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Generally, the Hilton hotel, where the dinner has taken place for years, remains open to regular guests during the correspondents’ dinner, and security has typically been focused on the ballroom and rather than the hotel at large, with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.—
Collin Binkley,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Security has typically been focused on the ballroom — rather than the hotel at large — with little screening for people not entering the dinner itself.—
Bridget Byrne,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Officials said the chaotic incident quickly triggered a multi-agency pursuit, prompting officers to deploy tire-deflation devices along a highway before the situation escalated into a brief foot chase outside of Denver.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
After a brief separation in 2007 owing to William's reluctance to commit, the two reconciled, became engaged in 2010 and got married in an awe-inspiring wedding spectacle held at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The detainees—from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Myanmar and eight other nations—were found in restricted compounds, some lacking passports or proper immigration documentation.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
If your yard is a bit lacking in colorful birds, adding a feeder can help attract all sorts of them.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fresh bread served in a crisp white linen.—
Nathanael Gassett,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The camera then cuts to the Foo Fighters, dressed in nice, clean, crisp white outfits, performing to an ecstatic crowd similarly dressed in nice, clean, crisp white outfits.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Lindsay-Abaire’s multidirectional repartee gets added zip from the first-rate cast, especially Margaret Colin as the unapologetically blunt Ruth.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Investigators believe the victim died in 2006 or earlier from blunt force trauma, Tierney said.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Gunfire at the Washington Hilton Saturday night abruptly halted the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.—
Charles Forelle,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
In her last year of college, my now-37-year-old daughter abruptly came out as a lesbian.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When picking your own, avoid squeezing the berries.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That’s way too much time to squeeze into a mere 140 minutes.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Update to the latest version to see all Vogue content, as well as new features like our Runway Genius quiz, Group Chats, and posts from Vogue contributors.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Indeed, Annecy’s official selection, which is dedicated to new releases, includes no fewer than 44 feature films this year, with 14 French films and 26 countries represented in the selection.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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