caught short
idiom
1
: not having enough of something
Make sure you stock up on supplies before you set out on your trip. Don't be caught short!
2
British, informal
: having a sudden urge to use the toilet
Examples of caught short in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many developers, spurred by the pandemic to invest money in new self-storage facilities, have been caught short by this drop in demand.
—
Martha C. White, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024
Or reforming military procurement so we’re not caught short of ammo again?
—John Seiler, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Combining derivative creation in a new asset class with high leverage multiples can create a situation that can leave investors caught short in times of market uncertainty or downturns.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
New deals from the country had already been drying up as traders didn’t want to risk getting caught short of the agreement’s deadline, said Matt Ammermann, commodity risk manager at StoneX.
—Megan Durisin, Áine Quinn and Daryna Krasnolutska, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for caught short 
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Martha C. White, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024
Or reforming military procurement so we’re not caught short of ammo again?
—John Seiler, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Combining derivative creation in a new asset class with high leverage multiples can create a situation that can leave investors caught short in times of market uncertainty or downturns.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
New deals from the country had already been drying up as traders didn’t want to risk getting caught short of the agreement’s deadline, said Matt Ammermann, commodity risk manager at StoneX.
—Megan Durisin, Áine Quinn and Daryna Krasnolutska, Anchorage Daily News, 31 Oct. 2022
See all Example Sentences for caught short
Dictionary Entries Near caught short
Cite this Entry
“Caught short.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caught%20short. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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