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 brittle
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 short
Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025
Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images This isn’t the first time Mulligan has gone short, nor experimented with twists and braids.
—Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2025
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Then at the beginning of 2024, supplies of insulin ran short due to production issues at Eli Lilly, one of the three companies responsible for over 90% of the U.S. insulin market.
—Jack Buffington, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025
Vipin Bharathan, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Pairs trading is a market-neutral strategy that involves buying one asset while shorting a related asset to profit from temporary pricing divergences.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025
Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Thirteen films will compete for the $5,000 Made in MIA Short Film Award (for shorts tied in with South Florida).
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
The group’s music and imagery spoke to him, but so did the tale of Morrison’s short, tumultuous life and, especially, his death, which has always been shrouded in some mystery.
—Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2025
Photo: Getty Images Photo: Getty Images This isn’t the first time Mulligan has gone short, nor experimented with twists and braids.
—Morgan Fargo, Vogue, 28 Mar. 2025
Adverb
These cases have led to conflicting outcomes, with some athletes gaining injunctions and others coming up short.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Then at the beginning of 2024, supplies of insulin ran short due to production issues at Eli Lilly, one of the three companies responsible for over 90% of the U.S. insulin market.
—Jack Buffington, The Conversation, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
The thieves could have made more by shorting all crypto-currencies than from the hack itself, as $300 billion of value was wiped out in the next day or two.
—Vipin Bharathan, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
Pairs trading is a market-neutral strategy that involves buying one asset while shorting a related asset to profit from temporary pricing divergences.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
Brooks & Dunn fans were left wanting more Thursday when the band unexpectedly cut their encore short.
—Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
Thirteen films will compete for the $5,000 Made in MIA Short Film Award (for shorts tied in with South Florida).
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
There were little tiny water bubbles around each of them.—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Gone are most of the toggle switches (and the little safety protrusions that accompanied them) on the dashboard, with the exception of one for changing between drive, reverse, and neutral, plus another to switch between drive modes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
During a brief news conference, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said officials could not take questions, citing the ongoing investigation and pending litigation.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
The show had a brief run Off Broadway in 1996, then lived on with a miniature national tour and a beloved cast recording.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
As the skin became more brittle, the hair fell out and the fatty layer beneath began to show more through the years, the white color faded, researchers said.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2025
-
It's enriched with black castor oil to nourish the scalp and stimulate hair growth and coconut oil to hydrate dry and brittle strands.—
Jailynn Taylor,
Allure,
2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Autopsy results revealed that Morin had endured 15 to 20 blows to the head and had died from a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
Not to be blunt, but there’s really no good excuse to skip SPF application, regardless of your skin tone or skin type.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
11 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Last week, the president threatened to impose massive tariffs on numerous countries—including a cumulative 145% tariff on Chinese imports—before abruptly dialing back his approach and issuing exemptions on electronics and PC parts.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
-
In January, the U.S. abruptly halted 90 percent of its humanitarian and development assistance to Ukraine.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Mike Pavlik, whose family lived across the alley behind ours and who was the leadoff batter on our softball team, squeezed my arm.—
David McGrath,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2025
-
Consumer confidence has taken a nosedive in 2025 as Americans grow more concerned that inflation could spike again, and tariffs will squeeze their wallets.—
Austin Denean,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
This is a sprawling document of balance changes, quality-of-life tweaks, and major new features.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Going for a cut that accentuates your best facial features and hair texture can be a foolproof way to walk out of the hair salon feeling happy.—
Julie Ricevuto,
Glamour,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2022, a consortium of private retirement-plan providers announced a collaboration to boost the portability of small retirement accounts.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
-
Sierra says that when her parents separated, her dad moved into that small two-bedroom house.—
Natalie Morales, Richard Fetzer,
CBS News,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share