Short — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb noun verb /ˈshȯrt/

Meaning & Definition of Short

Short (adjective)

  1. having little length
  2. not tall or high, low
  3. not extended in time, brief

Short (adverb)

  1. in a curt manner
  2. for or during a brief time
  3. at a disadvantage, unawares

Short (noun)

  1. the sum and substance, upshot
  2. a short syllable
  3. a short sound or signal

Short (verb)

  1. short-circuit —often used with out in U.S. English
  2. shortchange, cheat
  3. to sell (a security) short in expectation of a fall in prices

Short (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having relatively little height

    "a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school"

    similar: little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off
    related: dwarf, dwarfish, compact, petite, slight, diminutive, half-pint, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, pygmy, small, smallish, bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized, wee, dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat, squatty, stubby, stumpy, stunted
    opposite: altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering
    near: elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept, high-rise, statuesque, gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy, big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize, oversize, sizable, voluminous

  2. not lasting for a considerable time

    "fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point"

    similar: brief, fast, little
    related: shortish, abbreviated, abridged, curtailed, cut-back, shortened, syncopated, compact, condensed, abrupt, sudden, ephemeral, fleeting, momentary, short-lived, transient, transitory, impermanent, compendious, concise, crisp, epigrammatic, laconic, pithy, succinct, summary, terse, short-range, short-term
    opposite: extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-drawn-out, long-lived
    near: endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, unending, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted, permanent, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, long-range, long-term

  3. 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"

    similar: deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, low, scarce, shy, wanting
    related: substandard, unacceptable, unsatisfactory, hand-to-mouth, lean, light, meager, poor, scant, scanty, skimp, skimpy, slender, slim, spare, sparse, stingy, bare, mere, minimum, slight, small
    opposite: adequate, enough, sufficient
    near: abundant, ample, bounteous, bountiful, copious, generous, liberal, plenteous, plentiful, plenitudinous, enlarged, expanded, supplemented, abounding, overflowing, teeming, satisfactory, tolerable, lavish, luxuriant, rich, big, considerable, hefty, jumbo, king-size, large, largish, oversize, sizable, substantial, super

  4. having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure

    "short pastry"

    similar: brickle (dialect), brittle, crisp, crispy, crumbly, embrittled, flaky, friable
    related: crackly, crisped, crispened, crunchy, crusty, breakable, delicate, fragile
    near: elastic, flexible, pliable, pliant, resilient, strong, sturdy, tough

  5. 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!"

    similar: abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, downright, short-spoken, snippy, unceremonious
    related: gruff, rough, snappish, candid, direct, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, point-blank, straightforward, straight-out, artless, discourteous, disrespectful, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, insensitive, rude, tactless, undiplomatic, brief, closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, terse, tight-lipped, earnest, honest, sincere, coarse, crass, crude, low, uncouth, vulgar
    opposite: circuitous, mealymouthed
    near: civil, considerate, courteous, diplomatic, gracious, polite, politic, smooth, suave, tactful, loquacious, talkative, voluble, long-winded, prolix, verbose, courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, polished, refined

Short (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. with great suddenness

    "the bicyclist ahead of me unexpectedly pulled up short and I unavoidably plowed into him"

    similar: abruptly, suddenly, all of a sudden
    related: surprisingly, unexpectedly, directly, immediately, incontinently, instantaneously, instantly, promptly, pronto, right, right away, right off, straightaway, fast, full tilt, posthaste, quick, quickly, rapidly, readily, snappily, speedily, swift, swiftly, hastily, impetuously, impulsively, rashly, recklessly
    near: gradually, slowly, hesitantly

Short (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years"

    similar: beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, gaff, hose (slang), hustle, mulct, nobble (British slang), pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize, sell a bill of goods to, take for a ride, take to the cleaners
    related: extort, wrench, wrest, wring, clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak, exploit, milk, deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick, rope (in), betray, bitch, double-cross, bamboozle, fast-talk

Short (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in feature, documentary

    similar: animated cartoon, cartoon, docudrama, documentary, feature, featurette, short subject, film, flick, flicker, motion picture, movie, moving picture, picture, silent, talkie, B movie, B picture, cofeature

Related Entry: Short-circuit (verb)

Short-circuit is a different word from Short. The synonyms below are for short-circuit, not for short.

  1. to create difficulty for the work or activity of

    "for decades the maverick filmmaker was short-circuited by a chronic lack of funds"

    similar: clog, cramp, embarrass, encumber, fetter, hamper, handcuff, handicap, hinder, hobble, hog-tie, hold back, hold up, impede, inhibit, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle, stymie, tie up, trammel, cramp one's style, give a hard time
    related: balk, check, constrain, curb, rein, restrain, bind, chain, halter, leash, tether, tie, arrest, brake, delay, retain, retard, barricade, block, blockade, roadblock, bog (down), mire, choke, smother, stifle, strangle, suffocate, baffle, foil, frustrate, stump, thwart, derail, disrupt, sabotage, muzzle, repress, suppress, confine, hedge (in), hem (in)
    opposite: aid, assist, facilitate, help
    near: clear, make way, open, unclog, unplug, unstop, free, liberate, release, untie, loosen, smooth, encourage, further, promote

Related Entry: Short-lived (adjective)

Short-lived is a different word from Short. The synonyms below are for short-lived, not for short.

  1. lasting only for a short time

    "the skier's triumph turned out to be short-lived, as the next competitor bested her time"

    similar: brief, deciduous, ephemeral, evanescent, flash, fleeting, fugacious, fugitive, impermanent, momentary, passing, temporary, transient, transitory
    related: little, short, shortish, acting, interim, provisional, short-term
    opposite: ceaseless, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, lasting, long-lived, permanent, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending
    near: lifelong, continuing, durable, persistent, imperishable, indefectible, indestructible

Related Entry: Short-spoken (adjective)

Short-spoken is a different word from Short. The synonyms below are for short-spoken, not for short.

  1. being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner

    "don't expect much information or friendly chitchat from the short-spoken villagers"

    similar: abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, downright, short, snippy, unceremonious
    related: gruff, rough, snappish, candid, direct, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, open, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, point-blank, straightforward, straight-out, artless, discourteous, disrespectful, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, insensitive, rude, tactless, undiplomatic, brief, closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, terse, tight-lipped, earnest, honest, sincere, coarse, crass, crude, low, uncouth, vulgar
    opposite: circuitous, mealymouthed
    near: civil, considerate, courteous, diplomatic, gracious, polite, politic, smooth, suave, tactful, loquacious, talkative, voluble, long-winded, prolix, verbose, courtly, cultivated, gallant, genteel, polished, refined

Related Entry: Short story (noun)

Short story is a different word from Short. The synonyms below are for short story, not for short.

  1. a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel

    "her very first short story was accepted for publication in a local journal"

    similar: narrative, novelette, novella, story, tale, yarn
    related: bedtime story, exemplum, fable, parable, anecdote, joke, fairy tale, folktale, legend, myth, romance, account, annals, chronicle, history, record, report

Related Entry: Short-tempered (adjective)

Short-tempered is a different word from Short. The synonyms below are for short-tempered, not for short.

  1. easily irritated or annoyed

    "shop customers learned not to bother the short-tempered dog on their way out"

    similar: choleric, crabby, cranky, cross, crotchety, fiery, grouchy, grumpy, irascible, irritable, peevish, perverse, pettish, petulant, prickly, quick-tempered, raspy, ratty, snappish, snappy, snarky, snippety, snippy, stuffy, testy, waspish, out of humor, out of sorts
    related: bearish, bilious, cantankerous, cross-grained, curmudgeonly, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, off-color, ornery, querulous, snarly, surly, argumentative, bellicose, belligerent, combative, contentious, disputatious, fractious, fretful, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, truculent, huffy, pouty, sensitive, short, sulky, sullen, tetchy, thin-skinned, touchy, hot-blooded, passionate
    near: affable, companionable, cordial, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, outgoing, sociable, agreeable, amiable, good-natured, good-tempered, sweet, well-disposed, carefree, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, relaxed, forbearing, long-suffering, obliging, patient, stoic, tolerant, uncomplaining, understanding

Related Entry: Short-term (adjective)

Short-term is a different word from Short. The synonyms below are for short-term, not for short.

  1. intended to last, continue, or serve for a limited time

    "this is only a short-term solution to a long-term problem"

    similar: ad interim, impermanent, interim, provisional, provisionary, provisory, temporary
    related: acting, alternate, proxy, substitute, expedient, improvised, makeshift, intermediary, intermediate, transitional, ephemeral, fleeting, fugitive, short-lived, transitory, conditional, contingent, limited, qualified, short-range, tentative, replaceable, terminable, terminate
    opposite: long-term, permanent
    near: final, fixed, set, settled, unconditional, unlimited, unqualified, extended, lasting, long-range, standing, dateless, deathless, endless, enduring, eternal, everlasting, immortal, perpetual, timeless, undying, unending

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Short

The most common words with a similar meaning to Short:

Dialect: brickle
Slang: hose
British slang: nobble
little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off, brief, fast, deficient, inadequate, insufficient, lacking, scarce, shy, wanting, brittle, crisp, crispy, crumbly, embrittled, flaky, friable, abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, downright, short-spoken, snippy, unceremonious, abruptly, suddenly, all of a sudden, beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Short

Words with the opposite meaning of Short:

altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering, extended, far, great, lengthy, long, long-drawn-out, long-lived, adequate, enough, sufficient, circuitous, mealymouthed

Related Words for Short

dwarf, dwarfish, compact, petite, slight, diminutive, half-pint, pint-size, pocket, pocket-size, pygmy, small, smallish, bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized, wee, dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat

Near Antonyms of Short

elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept, high-rise, statuesque, gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy, big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize, oversize, sizable, voluminous, endless, everlasting, interminable, persistent, unending, longish, overlong, prolonged, protracted

Word Forms of Short

Inflections: shorted, shorting, shorts

Derived words: shortish (adjective), shortness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Short

Middle English, from Old English sceort; akin to Old High German scurz short, Old Norse skortr lack

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Short

Words & Phrases Containing Short

short and sweet, short ballot, short-circuit, short circuit, short-day, short division

Frequently Asked Questions about Short

What does "Short" mean?

"Short" means having little length. As an an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a verb, it is defined as: having little length. It has 8 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Short"?

Other words for "Short" include little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off, brief, fast and deficient. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Short" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Short"?

There are 270 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Short". Common alternatives include little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off, brief, fast, deficient, inadequate and insufficient.

What is the opposite of "Short"?

Antonyms of "Short" include altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering, extended, far and great. Near antonyms include elevated, lifted, raised and uplifted.

How do you use "Short" in a sentence?

Examples of "Short" in a sentence: "a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school"; "fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point"; "regrettably, the art supplies are short this year, so you'll have to share".

Is "Short" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Short" can be used as an adjective, an adverb, a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Short" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Short" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Short"?

"Short" is pronounced /ˈshȯrt/.