short·cut
ˈshȯrt-ˌkət 
also -ˈkət
1
: a route more direct than the one ordinarily taken
2
: a method or means of doing something more directly and quickly than and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure
a shortcut to success
3
: a key or combination of keys on a computer keyboard programmed to perform a specific function when pressed
You can open any item by clicking it or by assigning it a keyboard shortcut.—
Christopher Breen
Christopher Breencalled also hot key
shortcut; shortcutting
: to shorten (a route, a procedure, etc.) by use of a shortcut
also
: circumvent
: to take or use a shortcut
Examples of shortcut in a Sentence
Noun
Wait, I know a shortcut. Turn left here.
We took a shortcut home.
Let's take the shortcut through the woods.
I used a shortcut to calculate the total weight.
There are no shortcuts to learning another language.
Mistakes were made because too many shortcuts were taken.
Verb
are you sure there's no way to shortcut the entrance requirements?
Recent Examples on the Web
Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Remember that these services work best as learning aids and reference materials—use them to improve your understanding and develop your own academic skills rather than as simple shortcuts.
—Rowan Briggs, Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025
PCMAG, 25 Mar. 2025
Raise that by the increasing possibility of being caught and disciplined for using AI to bypass or shortcut school assignments, and generative AI use among students will likely stagnate.
—Derek Newton, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shortcut
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Noun
Made with cleaner, non-GMO ingredients and no shortcuts.
—Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Remember that these services work best as learning aids and reference materials—use them to improve your understanding and develop your own academic skills rather than as simple shortcuts.
—Rowan Briggs, Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Apple's and Microsoft’s apps also make plenty of keyboard shortcuts readily available.
—PCMAG, 25 Mar. 2025
Raise that by the increasing possibility of being caught and disciplined for using AI to bypass or shortcut school assignments, and generative AI use among students will likely stagnate.
—Derek Newton, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for shortcut
Cite this Entry
“Shortcut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortcut. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shortcut
1 of 2 noun
short·cut
ˈshȯrt-ˌkət
-ˈkət
: a shorter, quicker, or easier way
a shortcut through the woods
a shortcut to fame
shortcut
2 of 2 verb
shortcut; shortcutting
: to take or use a shortcut
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