short

Study(34)

UK /ʃɔːt/ US /ʃɔɹt/

adj 5adv 5noun 5verb 5name 3

Collocations

(adj.) not measuring much from one end to the other

VERBS

be, look, seem

ADV

extremely, really, very

comparatively, fairly, quite, rather, relatively

The flight to Paris is fairly short, taking only two hours from London.

(adj.) not lasting a long time

VERBS

be, feel, seem

become, get

My patience became very short after waiting in line for an hour.

make sth

keep sth

We need to keep this conversation short because I have another appointment soon.

ADV

extremely, very

comparatively, fairly, quite, relatively

The flight seemed quite short, and before we knew it, we had landed.

(adj.) not having enough of what is needed

VERBS

be, look

The meeting looked short because we finished all the important topics quickly.

become, get

Our supplies became short after the long winter, so we had to buy more groceries.

ADV

extremely, really, terribly, very, woefully

The apartment was extremely short on storage space, so we had to get creative with our furniture.

a bit, quite, rather

PREP

The restaurant was short of clean plates during the busy dinner service.

(adj.) rude

VERBS

ADV

a bit, rather

PREP

with

The manager was short with the staff during the budget meeting yesterday.

(noun.)

VERB + SHORT CUT

take, use

PREP

~ across/through

We decided to go short through the woods instead of walking around the long way.

~ to

Learning a language well requires dedication; there is no short way to fluency.

Definitions

adj

Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.

Of a person, living being, or object, having a comparatively small height.

Nhung Ngo had the shortest legs at Site-43. She was the shortest member of staff, two inches beneath the positively elfin Delfina Ibanez, and yet Lillian found her inexplicably difficult to shake. Power-walking down the halls didn't do the trick, as it always did when Wettle-dodging, since the diminutive headshrink kept disappearing into commissaries or service corridors or even other people's offices and emerging, smiling, in front of her.

Having little duration.

Our meeting was a short six minutes today. Every day for the past month it’s been at least twenty minutes long.

The results of this generalized speedup of the corporate metabolism are multiple: shorter product life cycles, more leasing and renting, more frequent buying and selling, more ephemeral consumption patterns, […]

Of a word or phrase, constituting an abbreviation (for another) or shortened form (of another).

"Phone" is short for "telephone" and "asap" short for "as soon as possible".

Of a fielder or fielding position, that is relatively close to the batsman.

adv

Abruptly, curtly, briefly.

They had to stop short to avoid hitting the dog in the street.

He cut me short repeatedly in the meeting.

Unawares.

The recent developments at work caught them short.

We were caught short by the sudden hailstorm.

Without achieving a goal or requirement.

His speech fell short of what was expected.

Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.

With a negative ownership position.

We went short most finance companies in July.

noun

A short circuit.

The circuit breaker keeps tripping because there's a short in the wiring.

A short film.

Preceded by a Simpsons short shot in 3-D—perhaps the only thing more superfluous than a fourth Ice Age movie—Ice Age: Continental Drift finds a retinue of vaguely contemporaneous animals coping with life in the post-Pangaea age.

A short film.

A short version of a garment in a particular size.

38 short suits fit me right off the rack.

Do you have that size in a short?

A shortstop.

Jones smashes a grounder between third and short.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who i

shortstop

verb — create a short circuit in

short-circuit

verb — cheat someone by not returning him enough money

short-change

adjective — lacking foresight or scope

shortsighted
unforesightful
myopic

adjective — (of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range

unretentive
forgetful

adjective — of insufficient quantity to meet a need

adjective — less than the correct or legal or full amount often delibera

light

adjective — low in stature

little

adverb — quickly and without warning

abruptly
suddenly
dead

adverb — in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner

curtly
shortly

adverb — at a disadvantage

unawares

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

one brick short of a full load

Not mentally sound; insane.

I feel fine today, but that gentleman conversing with the house plant there may be one brick short of a full load.

make short work of

To do (a task) quicker or easier.

A good electric screwdriver will make short work of the disassembly process.

draw the short straw

To select the shortest straw or other object while drawing straws.

short of a length

of a ball that pitches short of a good length; a ball that bounces closer to the bowler than the area of the pitch regarded as the best for dismissing or restricting the scoring of the batsman.

short leash

A strict set of rules, or great scrutiny or oversight which limit one's freedom of action.

The employee was put on probation after her latest mistakes and given a short leash.

Example Bank

Wiktionary

Our meeting was a short six minutes today. Every day for the past month it’s been at least twenty minutes long.

Wiktionary

They had to stop short to avoid hitting the dog in the street.

Wiktionary

He cut me short repeatedly in the meeting.

Wiktionary

The boss got a message and cut the meeting short.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, short is marked as informal, obsolete. Watch for register when choosing this word.

Your note

not saved

0 chars