short

I. short¹ S1 W1 /ʃɔːt $ ʃɔːrt/ BrE AmE adjective (comparative shorter, superlative shortest)
[Word Family: noun: ↑short, ↑shortage, ↑shortness, shorts, ↑shorty; verb: ↑shorten, ↑short; adverb: ↑short, ↑shortly; adjective: ↑short]
[Language: Old English; Origin: scort]
1. TIME happening or continuing for only a little time or for less time than usual OPP long:
a short meeting
Morris gave a short laugh.
a short course on business English
Winter is coming and the days are getting shorter.
I’ve only been in Brisbane a short time.
For a short while (=a short time), the city functioned as the region’s capital.
I learned a lot during my short period as a junior reporter.
Germany achieved spectacular economic success in a relatively short period of time.
They met and married within a short space of time.
I promise to keep the meeting short and sweet (=short in a way that is good, especially not talking for a long time).
For a few short weeks (=they seemed to pass very quickly), the sun shone and the fields turned gold.
2. LENGTH/DISTANCE measuring a small amount in length or distance OPP long:
a short skirt
Anita had her hair cut short.
They went by the shortest route, across the fields.
Carol’s office was only a short distance away, and she decided that she would walk there.
a short walk/flight/drive
It’s a short drive to the airport.
The hotel is only a short walk from the beach.
3. NOT TALL someone who is short is not as tall as most people OPP tall:
a short plump woman
Chris was short and stocky, with broad shoulders.
He’s a bit shorter than me.
4. BOOK/LETTER a book, letter etc that is short does not have many words or pages OPP long:
a short novel
I wrote a short note to explain. ⇨ ↑short story
5. NOT ENOUGH
a) if you are short of something, you do not have enough of it
be short (of something)
Can you lend me a couple of dollars? I’m a little short.
be short of money/cash/funds
Our libraries are short of funds.
be 5p/$10 etc short
Have you all paid me? I’m about £9 short.
I’m a bit short British English spoken (=I haven’t got much money at the moment)
somebody is not short of something British English (=they have a lot of it)
Your little girl’s not short of confidence, is she?
They’re not short of a few bob (=they are rich).
b) if something is short, there is not enough of it:
Money was short in those days.
It’s going to be difficult – time is short.
Gasoline was in short supply (=not enough of it was available) after the war.
6. be short on something to have less of something than you should have:
He’s a nice guy, but a little short on brains.
The president’s speech was long on colorful phrases but short on solutions.
7. LESS THAN a little less than a number
short of
Her time was only two seconds short of the world record.
just/a little short of something
She was just short of six feet tall.
8. short notice if something is short notice, you are told about it only a short time before it happens:
I can’t make it Friday. It’s very short notice.
at short notice British English on short notice American English:
The party was arranged at short notice.
9. in the short term/run during the period of time that is not very far into the future ⇨ short-term:
These measures may save money in the short term, but we’ll end up spending more later.
10. have a short memory if someone has a short memory, they soon forget something that has happened:
Voters have very short memories.
11. be short for something to be a shorter way of saying a name:
Her name is Alex, short for Alexandra.
12. be short of breath to be unable to breathe easily, especially because you are unhealthy:
He couldn’t walk far without getting short of breath.
13. be short with somebody to speak to someone using very few words, in a way that seems rude or unfriendly:
Sorry I was short with you on the phone this morning.
14. have a short temper/fuse to get angry very easily:
Mr Yanto, who had a very short fuse, told her to get out.
15. get/be given short shrift if you or your idea, suggestion etc is given short shrift, you are told immediately that you are wrong and are not given any attention or sympathy:
McLaren got short shrift from all the record companies when he first presented his new band to them in 1976.
16. be nothing/little short of something used to emphasize that something is very good, very surprising etc:
Her recovery seemed nothing short of a miracle.
The results are little short of astonishing.
17. draw/get the short straw to be given something difficult or unpleasant to do, especially when other people have been given something better:
Giles drew the short straw, and has to give us a talk this morning.
18. make short work of (doing) something to finish something quickly and easily, especially food or a job:
The kids made short work of the sandwiches.
Computers can make short work of complex calculations.
19. have/get somebody by the short and curlies (also have/get somebody by the short hairs) British English informal not polite to put someone in a situation in which they are forced to do or accept what you want:
I signed the contract – they’ve got me by the short and curlies.
20. be one ... short of a ... spoken used humorously to say that someone is a little crazy or stupid:
Lady, are you a few aces short of a deck?
He’s one sandwich short of a picnic.
21. short time British English when workers work for fewer hours than usual, because the company cannot afford to pay them their full wage:
Most of the workers were put on short time.
22. in short order formal in a short time and without delay
23. give somebody short measure British English old-fashioned to give someone less than the correct amount of something, especially in a shop
24. SOUND technical a short vowel is pronounced quickly without being emphasized, for example the sound of a in ‘cat’, e in ‘bet’, and i in ‘bit’ OPP long
—shortness noun [uncountable]:
He was suffering from shortness of breath.
Shirley was very conscious of her shortness and always wore high heels.
⇨ life’s too short at ↑life(27)
• • •
THESAURUS
■ time
▪ short not long: I lived in Tokyo for a short time. | Smokers have a shorter life expectancy than non-smokers.
▪ brief especially written lasting only for a short time. Brief is more formal than short, and is used especially in written English: The President will make a brief visit to Seattle today. | He coached Hingis for a brief period in the 1990s.
▪ quick [only before noun] taking a short time to do something: I had a quick look at the map. | He had a quick shower and then went out.
▪ short-lived lasting only for a short time – used especially when someone wishes that a good situation had been able to last for longer: short-lived success | The ceasefire was short-lived. | a short-lived romance | short-lived optimism about the economy
▪ fleeting lasting only for an extremely short time – used especially when someone wishes that something had been able to last for longer: a fleeting visit | a fleeting smile | She caught a fleeting glimpse of him. | a fleeting moment of happiness | a fleeting thought
▪ momentary lasting for a very short time – used especially about feelings or pauses: There was a momentary pause in the conversation. | The momentary panic ended when he found his two-year-old son waiting happily outside the store.
▪ passing [only before noun] lasting only for a short time – used especially when people are only interested in something or mention something for a short time: passing fashions | He made only a passing reference to war. | It’s just a passing phase (=it will end soon).
▪ ephemeral formal lasting only for a short time, and ending quickly like everything else in this world: Beauty is ephemeral. | the ephemeral nature of our existence | His wealth proved to be ephemeral.
■ person
▪ short someone who is short is not as tall as most people: He was a short fat man.
▪ not very tall quite short. This phrase sounds more gentle than saying that someone is short: She wasn’t very tall – maybe about 1.60 m.
▪ small short and with a small body: My mother was a small woman. | The girl was quite small for her age (=smaller than other girls of the same age).
▪ petite used about a woman who is attractively short and thin: She was a petite woman with blonde hair.
▪ stocky used about a boy or man who is short, heavy, and strong: Harry was stocky and middle-aged.
▪ dumpy short and fat: a dumpy girl with red hair
▪ diminutive formal literary very short or small – used especially in descriptions in novels: a diminutive figure dressed in black
▪ stubby stubby fingers or toes are short and thick: the baby’s stubby little fingers

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

short

short [short shorts shorted shorting shorter shortest] adjective, adverb, noun, verb [ʃɔːt] [ʃɔːrt]

adjective (short·er, short·est)

LENGTH/DISTANCE
1. measuring or covering a small length or distance, or a smaller length or distance than usual
• He had short curly hair.
• a short walk
• a short skirt

Opp: long

HEIGHT

2. (of a person) small in height
• She was short and dumpy.

Opp: tall

TIME

3. lasting or taking a small amount of time or less time than usual
• I'm going to France for a short break.
• Which is the shortest day of the year?
• a short book (= taking a short time to read, because it does not have many pages)
• She has a very short memory (= remembers only things that have happened recently).
• (informal) Life's too short to sit around moping.
• It was all over in a relatively short space of time.

Opp: long

4. only before noun (of a period of time) seeming to have passed very quickly
• Just two short years ago he was the best player in the country.

Opp: long

NOT ENOUGH

5. not before noun ~ (of sth) not having enough of sth; lacking sth
• I'm afraid I'm a little short (= of money) this month.

• She is not short of excuses when things go wrong.

6. ~ on sth (informal) lacking or not having enough of a particular quality

• He was a big strapping guy but short on brains.

7. not before noun not easily available; not supplying as much as you need

• Money was short at that time.

8. not before noun ~ (of sth) less than the number, amount or distance mentioned or needed
• Her last throw was only three centimetres short of the world record.
• The team was five players short.

• She was just short of her 90th birthday when she died.

OF BREATH

9. ~ of breath having difficulty breathing, for example because of illness

• a fat man, always short of breath

NAME/WORD

10. ~ for sth being a shorter form of a name or word
• Call me Jo— it's short for Joanna.

• file transfer protocol or FTP for short

RUDE

11. not before noun ~ (with sb) (of a person) speaking to sb using few words in a way that seems rude

• I'm sorry I was short with you earlier— I had other things on my mind.

VOWEL

12. (phonetics) a short vowel is pronounced for a shorter time than other vowels
• Compare the short vowel in ‘full’ and the long vowel in ‘fool’.
Opp: long
see also shortly
more at draw the short straw at draw _v., life's too short at life _n., cut/make a long story short at long _adj., full/short measure at measure _n., at short notice at notice _n., in the long/short/medium term at term _n., (as) thick as two short planks at thick _adj.
Word Origin:
Old English sceort, of Germanic origin; related to shirt and skirt.
Thesaurus:
short adj.
1.
• He was a short, fat little man.
• She ran as fast as her short legs would carry her.
stubby • • stunted • |formal diminutive • |approving petite • |disapproving dumpy •
Opp: tall, Opp: long
a short/diminutive/petite/dumpy woman/figure
a short/diminutive man
short/stubby fingers
2.
• Professor Ogawa gave a short talk on solar eclipses.
temporary • • short-lived • • passing • |especially written brief • • fleeting • • momentary •
Opp: long
a short/brief/passing moment
a short/temporary/brief stay
a short/brief/momentary silence/pause
Short or brief? Short is used more in informal and spoken English. Short, but not brief, is used to describe books, lists, projects, etc. that take only a short time. Brief is used more to describe a look, glance, glimpse, smile or sigh.
3. not before noun
• When food was short they picked berries in the woods.
scarce • • in short supply • • low • • limited • • few and far between •
Opp: plentiful
resources are short/scarce/in short supply/low/limited
food is short/scarce/in short supply
time is short/limited
Which word? Short is used especially about time and money. Scarce and in short supply are used about resources that are not generally available. Low is used especially about your supplies when you have not got much left.
4.
• She kept her answers short.
brief • • concise • • economical • • abbreviated • |approving succinct • • pithy • |sometimes disapproving terse • |usually disapproving curt • • brusque •
Opp: long
a/an short/brief/concise/abbreviated/succint/terse account
a short/brief/concise/succint/terse summary/answer/statement
Short or brief? A mention is usually brief; an answer is more likely to be short. Brief is used about speech:
• Please be brief.
¤ Please be short.
Example Bank:
• His performance was woefully short of conviction.
• If space is really short, that door can be moved.
• It was all over in a relatively short space of time.
• Mike was a bit short of cash just then.
• Our team was one player short.
• Safe drinking water is in desperately short supply.
• Sorry I was a bit short with you earlier.
• The days are getting shorter and shorter.
• The interview was mercifully short.
• The working week is getting shorter and shorter.
• United looked woefully short of menace in attack.
• We're getting short of funds.
• a relatively short distance of 50 to 100 miles
• a young woman whose life was cut tragically short
• Call me Jo— it's short for Joanna.
• He felt his time was running short.
• He was a short, fat little man.
• He was too short to be admitted into the army.
• I'm going to France next week for a short break.
• I'm slightly shorter than you.
• I've only read the shorter version of the report.
• It's quite a short book.
• Just two short years ago he was the best player in the country.
• Life's too short to sit around moping.
• Money was pretty short at that time.
• She has a very short memory.
• Sheila waved her short stubby arms in the air.
• The little boy ran as fast as his short legs could carry him.
• The short answer to your query is that he has acted completely illegally.
• Try to keep your sentences short.
• What did he look like? Was he dark or fair? Tall or short?
• When food was short they used to pick berries in the woods.
• file transfer protocol or FTP for short
Idioms: brick short of a load/two sandwiches short of a picnic ▪ caught short ▪ come short ▪ fall short of something ▪ get the short end of the stick ▪ give get short shrift ▪ have on a short fuse ▪ in short ▪ in short order ▪ in short supply ▪ in the short run ▪ little short of something ▪ make short work of somebody ▪ pull/bring somebody up short ▪ short and sweet ▪ short of something

Derived Word: shortness

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

short / ʃɔːt / / ʃɔːrt / adjective (DISTANCE)

A1 small in length, distance, or height:

a short skirt

Her hair is much shorter than it used to be.

It's only a short walk to the station.

I'm quite short but my brother's very tall.

B2 describes a name that is used as a shorter form of a name:

Her name's Jo - it's short for Josephine.

Her name's Josephine, or Jo for short.

shortness / ˈʃɔːt.nəs / / ˈʃɔːrt- / noun [ U ]

shortness of time

The disease may cause sweating, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath (= difficulties in breathing) .

short / ʃɔːt / / ʃɔːrt / adjective (TIME)

A1 being an amount of time that is less than average or usual:

a short film/visit

He's grown so much in such a short time.

I work much better if I take a short break every hour or so.

A2 describes books, letters, and other examples of writing that do not contain many words and do not take much time to read:

It's a very short book - you'll read it in an hour.

shortness / ˈʃɔːt.nəs / / ˈʃɔːrt- / noun [ U ]

shortness of time

The disease may cause sweating, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath (= difficulties in breathing) .

short / ʃɔːt / / ʃɔːrt / adjective (LACKING)

be short (of sth ) B1 to not have enough of something:

to be short of space/time

We're a bit short of coffee - I must get some more.

The bill comes to £85, but we're £15 short.

I'm a little short (= I do not have much money) this week - could you lend me ten dollars?

short of breath unable to breathe very well, for example because you have been running or doing some type of energetic exercise:

She's always short of breath when she climbs the stairs.

be in short supply to be few or not enough in number:

Computers are in rather short supply in this office.

go short mainly UK to not have something, especially when it is something you need in order to live:

My parents didn't have much money, but they made sure we didn't go short ( of anything).

short / ʃɔːt / / ʃɔːrt / adjective [ after verb ] (NOT PATIENT)

saying little but showing slight impatience or anger in the few words that you say:

I'm sorry if I was a bit short with you on the phone this morning.

shortness / ˈʃɔːt.nəs / / ˈʃɔːrt- / noun [ U ]

shortness of time

The disease may cause sweating, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath (= difficulties in breathing) .

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

short
I. ADJECTIVE AND ADVERB USES

/ʃɔ:(r)t/

(shorter, shortest)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Please look at category 23 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1.
If something is short or lasts for a short time, it does not last very long.
The announcement was made a short time ago...
How could you do it in such a short period of time?...
Kemp gave a short laugh...
We had a short meeting.
≠ long
ADJ
2.
If you talk about a short hour, day, or year, you mean that it seems to have passed very quickly or will seem to pass very quickly.
For a few short weeks there was peace...
≠ long
ADJ: usu ADJ n
3.
A short speech, letter, or book does not have many words or pages in it.
They were performing a short extract from Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona...
≠ long
ADJ: usu ADJ n
4.
Someone who is short is not as tall as most people are.
I’m tall and thin and he’s short and fat.
...a short, elderly woman with grey hair...
≠ tall
ADJ
5.
Something that is short measures only a small amount from one end to the other.
The city centre and shops are only a short distance away...
His black hair was very short.
≠ long
ADJ
6.
If you are short of something or if it is short, you do not have enough of it. If you are running short of something or if it is running short, you do not have much of it left.
Her father’s illness left the family short of money...
Supplies of everything are unreliable, food is short...
ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ of n
7.
If someone or something is or stops short of a place, they have not quite reached it. If they are or fall short of an amount, they have not quite achieved it.
He stopped a hundred yards short of the building...
ADJ: v-link ADJ of n
8.
Short of a particular thing means except for that thing or without actually doing that thing.
Short of climbing railings four metres high, there was no way into the garden from this road...
PREP-PHRASE: PREP n/-ing
9.
If something is cut short or stops short, it is stopped before people expect it to or before it has finished.
His glittering career was cut short by a heart attack...
ADV: ADV after v
10.
If a name or abbreviation is short for another name, it is the short version of that name.
Her friend Kes (short for Kesewa) was in tears...
‘O.O.B.E.’ is short for ‘Out Of Body Experience’.
ADJ: v-link ADJ for n
11.
If you have a short temper, you get angry very easily.
...an awkward, self-conscious woman with a short temper.
ADJ
see also short-tempered
12.
If you are short with someone, you speak briefly and rather rudely to them, because you are impatient or angry.
She seemed nervous or tense, and she was definitely short with me.
ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ with n
13.
If a person or thing is called something for short, that is the short version of their name.
Opposite me was a woman called Jasminder (Jazzy for short)...
PHRASE: usu n PHR
14.
If you go short of something, especially food, you do not have as much of it as you want or need.
Some people may manage their finances badly and therefore have to go short of essentials.
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR of n
15.
You use in short when you have been giving a lot of details and you want to give a conclusion or summary.
Try tennis, badminton or windsurfing. In short, anything challenging...
PHRASE: PHR with cl
16.
You use nothing short of or little short of to emphasize how great or extreme something is. For example, if you say that something is nothing short of a miracle or nothing short of disastrous, you are emphasizing that it is a miracle or it is disastrous.
The results are nothing short of magnificent...
PHRASE: v-link PHR adj/n [emphasis]
17.
If you say that someone is, for example, several cards short of a full deck or one sandwich short of a picnic, you think they are stupid, foolish, or crazy. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE: v-link PHR
18.
If someone or something is short on a particular good quality, they do not have as much of it as you think they should have.
The proposals were short on detail.
PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval]
19.
If someone stops short of doing something, they come close to doing it but do not actually do it.
He stopped short of explicitly criticizing the government...
PHRASE: V inflects, PHR -ing/n
20.
If workers are put on short time, they are asked to work fewer hours than the normal working week, because their employer can not afford to pay them a full time wage.
Workers across the country have been put on short time because of the slump in demand...
Most manufacturers have had to introduce short-time working.
PHRASE: on PHR, PHR n
21.
If something pulls you up short or brings you up short, it makes you suddenly stop what you are doing.
The name on the gate pulled me up short.
PHRASE: V inflects
22.
If you make short work of someone or something, you deal with them or defeat them very quickly. (INFORMAL)
Agassi made short work of his opponent.
PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n
23.
short of breath: see breath
at short notice: see notice
to sell someone short: see sell
to get short shrift: see shrift
to cut a long story short: see story
to draw the short straw: see straw
in short supply: see supply
in the short term: see term

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹short /ˈʃoɚt/ adj short·er; -est
1 a : extending a small distance from one end to the other end : having little length : not long
• Her hair is short. = She has short hair.
• It's just a short distance from here. = It's just a short distance away.
• the shortest rope
• One of my legs is slightly shorter than the other.
• The coat is short on him. = The coat is too short for him. [=the coat should be longer in order to fit him correctly]
b : not great in distance
• a short walk/drive/trip
• This way is shorter.
c : having little height : not tall
• He is short for his age.
• a short girl
2 a : lasting or continuing for a small amount of time : brief
• a short delay/vacation/speech
• the shortest day of the year
• Life's too short to worry about the past.
• The movie/meeting was very short.
• You have done a lot in a short space/period of time.
• a short burst of speed
• I've only lived here for a short time/while.
• It's just a short walk from here. [=you can walk there from here in a few minutes]
• She has a very short memory. [=she forgets about events, conversations, etc., soon after they happen]
b always used before a noun : seeming to pass quickly
• She has made great progress in a few short years.
• He visited for two short weeks.
3 : having few pages, items, etc.
• a short book/poem
• I have a list of things I need to do before we go, but it's pretty short.
• short sentences
4 of clothing : covering only part of the arms or legs
• boys in short pants
• a shirt with short sleeves [=sleeves that end at or above the elbows]
• a short skirt [=a skirt that ends above the knees and especially several inches above the knees]
5 a : existing in less than the usual or needed amount
• We should hurry. Time is short. [=we don't have much time]
• Money has been short lately. [=I haven't had enough money lately]
• Gasoline is in short supply. [=little gasoline is available]
• (US) We can be ready on short notice. = (Brit) We can be ready at short notice. [=very quickly]
• (US) Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. = (Brit) Thank you for meeting with me at such short notice. [=even though you did not know that I wanted to meet with you until a short time ago]
b not used before a noun : having less than what is needed : not having enough of something
• I can't pay the bill. I'm a little short (of money). [=I don't have enough money]
• The team was short (by) two players. = The team was two players short.
- often + on
• short on time/food/money
• She's a little short on patience today. [=she is feeling somewhat impatient]
• He's not short on self-confidence. [=he has plenty of self-confidence]
• He was long on criticism but short on useful advice. [=he was very critical but did not give any useful advice]
c : less than - used in the phrase nothing short of to give emphasis to a statement or description
• His recovery is nothing short of a miracle. = His recovery is nothing short of miraculous. [=his recovery is a miracle; his recovery is miraculous]
d : not reaching far enough
• The throw to first base was short.
• a short throw
6 : made smaller by having part removed
• a short tax form
- often + for
• “Doc” is short for “doctor.”
• “Ben” is short for “Benjamin.”
• “www” is short for “World Wide Web.”
7 not used before a noun : talking to someone in a very brief and unfriendly way : rudely brief
• I'm sorry I was short [=abrupt, curt] with you.
8 linguistics of a vowel
- used to identify certain vowel sounds in English
• long and short vowels
• the short “a” in “bad”
• the short “e” in “bet”
• the short “i” in “sit”
• the short “o” in “hot”
• the short “u” in “but”
- compare ¹long 6
a short fuse
- see ²fuse
draw the short straw
- see ¹draw
fall short
- see ¹fall
in short order : quickly and without delay
• In short order the group set up camp.
• The papers were organized in short order.
make short work of
- see ²work
short and sweet : pleasantly brief : not lasting a long time or requiring a lot of time
• That's the way we like the meetings—short and sweet.
• I've got a few announcements, but I'll keep it short and sweet. [=I will talk for only a few minutes]
short of breath
✦If you are short of breath, it is difficult for you to breathe.
• He is overweight and gets short of breath [=out of breath] just walking to his car.
• She was short of breath and unable to talk after her run.
the short end of the stick
- see ¹stick
- short·ness /ˈʃoɚtnəs/ noun [noncount]
• I was surprised by the shortness of the meeting.
• One symptom is shortness of breath.