short

/ʃɔrt/

/ʃɔt/

Other forms: shorter; shortest; shorts; shorting; shorted

Short describes something that is not as long as usual. If your childhood bed is too short for you, your feet will dangle over the edge, and if a school day is short, you'll get out early.

The adjective short describes things that aren't long when you measure them, or have a small distance from one end to another, like your short hair or the short walk to the library. A small amount of time can also be described as short, like a short chat with your mom. As a verb, short can describe cheating someone out of money or not paying what is owed, like a friend who shorts you when the lunch bill arrives.

Definitions of short

1. adjective

   (primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length
   “short skirts”

   “short hair”

   “the board was a foot short”

   “a short toss”

   synonyms:

   abbreviated, brief

   (of clothing) very short

   close

   used of hair or haircuts

   curtal

   (obsolete) cut short

   sawed-off, sawn-off, shortened

   cut short

   shortish

   somewhat short

   short-range

   limited to short distances

   short-snouted

   having a snout that is shorter than average

   snub

   unusually short

   stubby

   short and blunt

   shortened, telescoped

   shortened by or as if by means of parts that slide one within another or are crushed one into another

   truncate, truncated

   terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off

   antonyms:

   long

   primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified

   elongate, elongated

   having notably more length than width; being long and slender

   elongated, extended, lengthened, prolonged

   drawn out or made longer spatially

   extendable, extendible

   capable of being lengthened

   far

   being of a considerable distance or length

   lank

   long and thin and often limp

   long-handled, pole-handled

   having a long handle

   long-range

   suitable for or reaching long distances

   long-snouted

   having a snout that is longer than average

   long-staple

   having relatively long fibers

   long-wool, long-wooled

   (of sheep) having relatively long wool

   oblong

   deviating from a square or circle or sphere by being elongated in one direction

   polysyllabic, sesquipedalian

   (of words) long and ponderous; having many syllables

   stretch

   having an elongated seating area
2. adjective

   low in stature; not tall
   “he was short and stocky”

   “short in stature”

   “a short smokestack”

   synonyms: little

   low

   literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension

   chunky, dumpy, low-set, squat, squatty, stumpy

   short and thick; as e.g. having short legs and heavy musculature

   compact, heavyset, stocky, thick, thickset

   having a short and solid form or stature

   half-length

   representing only the upper half of the body

   pint-size, pint-sized, runty, sawed-off, sawn-off

   well below average height

   short-stalked

   of plants having relatively short stalks

   squab, squabby

   short and fat

   antonyms:

   tall

   great in vertical dimension; high in stature

   high

   (literal meaning) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high')

   big, large

   above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

   gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy

   tall and thin and having long slender limbs

   in height

   having a specified height

   leggy, long-legged, long-shanked

   having long legs

   leggy, tall-growing

   (of plants) having tall spindly stems

   long

   of relatively great height

   long-stalked, tall-stalked

   of plants having relatively long stalks

   stately, statuesque

   of size and dignity suggestive of a statue

   tallish

   somewhat tall
3. adverb

   at some point or distance before a goal is reached
   “he fell short of our expectations”
4. noun

   the location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
   type of:

   parcel, parcel of land, piece of ground, piece of land, tract

   an extended area of land
5. noun

   the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between second and third base
   synonyms: shortstop

   type of:

   position

   (in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player
6. adjective

   primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
   “a short life”

   “a short flight”

   “a short holiday”

   “a short story”

   “only a few short months”

   synonyms:

   abbreviated, shortened, truncated

   cut short in duration

   brief

   of short duration or distance

   clipped

   (of speech) having quick short sounds

   fleeting, fugitive, momentaneous, momentary

   lasting for a markedly brief time

   short and sweet

   dealt with very quickly; to the point

   short-dated

   of a gilt-edged security; having less than 5 years to run before redemption

   short-range

   relating to the near future

   short-run, short-term

   relating to or extending over a limited period

   antonyms:

   long

   primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

   agelong

   lasting through all time

   bimestrial

   two months long; lasting two months

   chronic, continuing

   of long duration

   daylong

   lasting through an entire day

   drawn-out, extended, lengthy, prolonged, protracted

   relatively long in duration; tediously protracted

   durable, lasting, long-lasting, long-lived

   existing for a long time

   eight-day

   lasting for eight days

   endless, eternal, interminable

   tiresomely long; seemingly without end

   hourlong

   lasting for an hour

   lifelong, womb-to-tomb

   continuing through life

   long-acting

   active over a long period of time

   long-dated

   of a gilt-edged security; having more than 15 years to run before redemption

   longish

   somewhat long

   long-life

   (of perishable goods) treated to stay fresh longer than usual

   longitudinal

   over an extended time

   long-range

   involving an extended span of time

   long-run, long-term, semipermanent

   relating to or extending over a relatively long time

   longstanding

   having existed for a long time

   monthlong

   last through a month

   all-night, nightlong, overnight

   lasting, open, or operating through the whole night

   perennial

   lasting an indefinitely long time; suggesting self-renewal

   time-consuming

   of a task that takes time and patience

   seven-day, weeklong

   lasting through a week

   yearlong

   lasting through a year
7. adjective

   of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration
   “the English vowel sounds in `pat', `pet', `pit', `pot', putt' are short”

   antonyms:

   long

   (of speech sounds or syllables) of relatively long duration
8. adverb

   quickly and without warning
   synonyms: abruptly, dead, suddenly
9. adverb

   so as to interrupt
   “She took him up short before he could continue”
10. noun

    accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
    synonyms: short circuit

    type of:

    contact, tangency

    (electronics) a junction where things (as two electrical conductors) touch or are in physical contact
11. verb

    create a short circuit in
    synonyms: short-circuit

    type of:

    create, make

    make or cause to be or to become
12. adjective

    not sufficient to meet a need
    “money is short”

    “on short rations”

    “food is in short supply”

    “short on experience”

    synonyms: inadequate, poor

    deficient, insufficient

    of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
13. adjective

    lacking foresight or scope
    “a short view of the problem”

    synonyms: myopic, shortsighted, unforesightful

    improvident

    not provident; not providing for the future
14. adjective

    (of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
    “a short memory”

    synonyms: forgetful, unretentive

    forgetful, mindless, unmindful

    not mindful or attentive
15. adjective

    less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
    “regularly gives short weight”

    synonyms: light, scant

    deficient, insufficient

    of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement
16. adverb

    at a disadvantage
    “I was caught short”

    synonyms: unawares
17. verb

    cheat out of by giving back less money than is due to someone who has overpaid
    synonyms: short-change, shortchange

    type of:

    bunco, con, defraud, diddle, gip, goldbrick, hornswoggle, mulct, nobble, rook, scam, short-change, shortchange, swindle, victimize

    (offensive) deprive of by deceit
18. adjective

    not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices
    “a short sale”

    “short in cotton”

    antonyms:

    long

    holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices
19. adverb

    without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold
    “he made his fortune by selling short just before the crash”
20. adjective

    tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening
    “shortbread is a short crumbly cookie”

    “a short flaky pie crust”

    synonyms:

    breakable

    capable of being broken or damaged
21. adjective

    marked by rude or peremptory shortness
    “the salesgirl was very short with him”

    synonyms: brusk, brusque, curt

    discourteous

    showing no courtesy; rude
22. adverb

    in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
    “he talked short with everyone”

    synonyms: curtly, shortly
23. adverb

    clean across
    “the car's axle snapped short”