How to Use short in a Sentence

short

1 of 4 adjective

• The movie was very short.
• You have done a lot in a short space of time.
• He is short for his age.
• Life's too short to worry about the past.
• She has made great progress in a few short years.
• I've only lived here for a short time.
• One of my legs is slightly shorter than the other.
• He visited for two short weeks.
• This, in short, is a book that gets a lot of things wrong.
  — Timothy Shenk, The New Republic, 12 Apr. 2022
• The grass is short and flat, the trees are weirdly stiff.
  — Julie Muncy, Wired, 24 Nov. 2020
• If Texas is short on loose leaf, the south is here to help.
  — Ariana Garcia, Chron, 27 Jan. 2022
• Start by wearing them in the house or on a short walk around the park.
  — Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2022
• Opting out in the short term can mean big wins down the road.
  — Jodie Cook, Forbes, 5 July 2021
• The pilot does a lot of setup in a short amount of time.
  — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 19 May 2020
• Turnbacks cut trips short for half the trains on a line.
  — Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2020
• Their hair is always worn long, the skirts short, sporty, and tight.
  — Jihan Forbes, Allure, 19 May 2022
• Every four years, the shortest month of the year gets just a tad bit longer.
  — Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 29 Feb. 2024
• This should be done in a short, quick back-and-forth motion.
  — Brad Lanphear, Men's Health, 10 June 2023
• That didn’t work when some of those irons didn’t always find the short grass.
  — Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2022
• In the short term, this can lead to dizziness or fainting.
  — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 27 Jan. 2021
• Many of those yards and points have been piled up in short order.
  — John Holler, USA TODAY Sportsbook Wire, 23 Dec. 2019
• If the back of the neck gets too short, place a pillow under your head.
  — Justicia Declue, Philly.com, 28 Feb. 2018
• Turn right and follow the road a short way, then look for a trail marker on the left.
  — oregonlive, 10 Oct. 2021
• Still, Freiman was well aware that his store wouldn't be profitable in the short term.
  — Michael Waters, Smithsonian, 20 June 2019
• In short, make sure that your journal (and your brain) is a safe space.
  — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, 24 Dec. 2023
• So, yes, a year on Venus is shorter than a day on Venus.
  — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 5 Jan. 2020
• Bontrager will set the tubes out and train the dogs one at a time for short, 10– to 15-minute sessions.
  — The Indianapolis Star, 22 June 2023
• In short, the month of November has produced some of the best songs yet.
  — Heran Mamo, Billboard, 1 Dec. 2023
• So why has Peerless made such big waves in such a short amount of time?
  — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, 24 May 2019
• Now the automaker returns to the silver screen with a new short called The Calm.
  — Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 16 May 2023

Advertisement

short

2 of 4 adverb

• He threw the ball short.
• The Sweet 16 bid fell short when the shots wouldn't fall down the stretch.
  — John Marshall, ajc, 21 Mar. 2021
• The gains were short-lived, and the progress is now in peril.
  — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 18 Aug. 2021
• The skid was short-lived, as Zionsville won 12 of its next 13.
  — Matthew Vantryon, Indianapolis Star, 22 Feb. 2018
• The run of bad news might have seemed, at first, to be short-lived.
  — Hilda Bastian, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2021
• Yet again, it was said that the strains would be short-lived.
  — Priya Dharshini, Quartz, 28 Nov. 2021
• But the impact to crows was short-lived, Beissinger said.
  — Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2022
• The shot was short, much like many of Leonard’s misses down the stretch.
  — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Feb. 2020
• This isn’t the first time Adam’s come up short before the show ends.
  — Megan Stein, Country Living, 8 May 2019
• But the glory was short-lived, as was the breakthrough.
  — New York Times, 28 Feb. 2021
• Even that shot was right on line but just short, grazing the front of the rim.
  — Mike Hutton, Post-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2018
• But the joy was short-lived when Senegal scored a third goal.
  — James Montague, New York Times, 28 Nov. 2022
• Keanu Reeves' dabble on the small screen was short-lived.
  — Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 9 Oct. 2022
• But the peace is short-lived, ended by the abrupt outbreak of the Dakota War of 1862.
  — Diane Cole, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2023
• But the good news was short lived for adult theaters like the Oregon.
  — Katie Shepherd, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Mar. 2020
• Will Kirk Cousins come up short in the next big moment?
  — Paul Hodowanic, Twin Cities, 24 Dec. 2019
• Self has had too many teams that were good enough to be here but fell short.
  — Sam Mellinger, kansascity, 30 Mar. 2018
• The other time so many things fell short, Ohio State lost.
  — Nathan Baird, cleveland, 30 Oct. 2021
• The motor is very short ranged, in the region of a few hundred yards.
  — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2019
• The Wolves went for 2 and the win after their final score but came up short.
  — Ben Thomas | [e-mail], al, 13 July 2023
• The valuable part is that he can be used short, he can be used long.
  — Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 1 June 2021
• Adult beetles are short-lived and active during the heat of the day.
  — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2020
• Yet the wave of the most recent variant appears to have been short-lived.
  — Arkansas Online, 17 Feb. 2022
• And then it was discovered that the race was set short: 25.4 miles.
  — Lori Nickel, Journal Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2023
• While a storm may briefly cool things off, relief from the heat would be short-lived.
  — Christine Dempsey, courant.com, 24 Aug. 2020
• That lead was also short-lived with a bad bounce leading to the own goal that cost them the win.
  — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2019
• The pitch was made in an informal phone call and the exchange was short.
  — Peter Nicholas, WSJ, 12 May 2018
• For his part, Giuliani talked a big game but came up short.
  — Barnini Chakraborty, Washington Examiner, 15 Dec. 2023
• Both of those teams came up short in their quest for the championship.
  — Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2021
• Bullpen blows it, offense comes up short, bullpen blows it.
  — Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, 1 Oct. 2017

Advertisement

short

3 of 4 noun

• The short before the main movie was very funny.
• The shirts and tanks are longer in the back, and the shorts and pants have pockets.
  — Natalia E. Contreras, Indianapolis Star, 18 Sep. 2019
• The man’s hands were tucked into the front of his shorts.
  — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 11 Oct. 2019
• The child was wearing green shorts and socks at the time.
  — Staff, cleveland.com, 12 May 2018
• Here are the shorts to help you get prepared for the hill.
  — Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 26 Dec. 2019
• But that’s usually the case in the first day of shorts.
  — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 1 Aug. 2019
• The players agreed to remove their shorts for the game.
  — Alvaro Montano, Houston Chronicle, 2 Mar. 2018
• The man was in his 50s and wearing shorts and a white T-shirt.
  — David Harris, OrlandoSentinel.com, 14 July 2018
• The Kings and Pelicans seem ready to scare the shorts off somebody in the first round.
  — Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024
• In the doorbell video, the man wears only shorts, a watch and a cross around his neck.
  — Jess Nocera, baltimoresun.com, 3 Sep. 2019
• He was last seen wearing a white shirt and red and black shorts.
  — Isa Kaufman-Geballe, CNN, 20 Mar. 2023
• Each of the Simpson children has starred in their own short.
  — Jasmine Washington, Seventeen, 15 Apr. 2022
• The shorts, which are also black, have three metallic stripes down the side.
  — Sam McDowell, kansascity, 7 Feb. 2018
• Wear the hoodie and the leggings on the trails or the shorts and T-shirt to the hotel pool — with this set, the world is yours.
  — Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2024
• She was last seen wearing a long-sleeve green shirt and black shorts.
  — Dana Branham, Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2019
• The famous tennis player and mom wore a crop top and jean shorts in the pic.
  — Jacqueline Tempera, Women's Health, 15 Apr. 2023
• The shorts are available in blue, coral, brown, and pink with sizes ranging from XS-4XL.
  — Erinne Magee, Travel + Leisure, 15 May 2023
• Nick and Finn joined the cast as younger versions of the short's main characters.
  — Mckinley Franklin, Peoplemag, 3 Feb. 2024
• He was last seen wearing a black long sleeve shirt and black shorts with red and white stripes on the side.
  — Chris Harris, PEOPLE.com, 1 Apr. 2020
• This effortless two-piece polyester shorts set is so easy to wear and to care for.
  — Alesandra Dubin, Woman's Day Magazine, 20 Apr. 2023
• Birch, in shorts and a T-shirt, listened with a quizzical frown.
  — Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023
• And she’s dressed in her adorable oversized pink T-shirt and purple shorts, of course.
  — Melissa Epifano, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023
• This month, three shirts, two dresses, and a pair of shorts arrived at my door.
  — Jamie Ducharme, Time, 12 June 2023
• Gwen looked stunning in a cutout top and fringed denim shorts.
  — Kelly O'Sullivan, Country Living, 17 Aug. 2019
• There’s a sense of melancholy in all your work, from your shorts to your features.
  — Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2023
• Henceforth the baristas must wear at least shorts and tank tops.
  — George Will, National Review, 4 Oct. 2017
• Try keeping enough socks, shorts, t-shirts, and school clothes washed for three young men.
  — Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 14 May 2023
• Omar wiped his hands on his shorts and grabbed one end of the rope, again with his good hand; the other hung by his side.
  — Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024
• One was wearing a red bandana, gray shirt and black shorts.
  — Jeanne Houck, Cincinnati.com, 6 Aug. 2019
• He was last seen wearing a black shirt with white stripes, black shorts and black gym shoes.
  — Frank Vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, 14 July 2018

Advertisement

short

4 of 4 verb

• The hair dryer must have shorted.
• The lightning shorted the TV.
• Alas, Sanchez couldn’t hold his swing on a 3-0 changeup, and his meek grounder to short killed the threat.
  — Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2017
• On one Sunday, a rainstorm caused an LED light at the top of the wheel to short out and send out a spark.
  — Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 May 2021
• Bobby Peirce grounded out to second and Irish to short to send the Tigers down 1-2-3 in the fourth.
  — Nubyjas Wilborn | [e-mail], al, 3 June 2023
• The army of traders also bought up other stocks the hedge fund had shorted.
  — Steve Mollman, Fortune, 17 Mar. 2023
• The fault shunts extra current to some parts of the circuit, shorting it out.
  — IEEE Spectrum, 27 May 2023
• The Easter Bunny short a limb or two thanks to a skeletal T. Rex.
  — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Aug. 2019
• The clerk advised that he was shorted $100 by a customer.
  — Cheryl Higley, cleveland.com, 19 Feb. 2018
• That’s not to short the north end of the island, which holds the Grosse Ile Woods Preserve and a bird sanctuary.
  — Judy Rose, Detroit Free Press, 29 Aug. 2021
• Water might short out the electronics, but that’s about it.
  — Corinne Iozzio, Scientific American, 18 Dec. 2015
• But to call the Z06 an American Ferrari is to short its credit.
  — Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 2 Oct. 2022
• Godfrey suggests instead the fire could have caused the circuits in the ceiling area to short out, pop the breakers, and cut out the lights.
  — Helena Skinner, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2023
• Gillespie and his movie-star cast aren’t trying to short squeeze the topic for statuettes.
  — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2023
• The Rebels loaded the bases with two outs, but Eric Chacon grounded out to short to end the inning.
  — Joseph Halm, NOLA.com, 24 Apr. 2018
• The National Hockey League has been kind in recent years to short guys.
  — Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2019
• Steven Kwan's groundout to short scored Jack Anderson from third for a 4-3 lead.
  — Ron Richmond For The Oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, 1 May 2018
• As a result, the starter toasted itself to a crisp and the ignition shorted out.
  — Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 21 Feb. 2023
• The only thing worse than headphones that start shorting out is having to throw them away and buy a whole new pair.
  — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, 28 Sep. 2015
• Tyler Saladino moved to from third base to short, and catcher Manny Pina came in to play third.
  — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6 July 2019
• When the reunion begins, the bar cranks the sound system so loudly that the speaker closest to me keeps shorting out.
  — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 June 2023
• Sometimes a power strip will short and shut off your devices.
  — Kim Komando, USA TODAY, 10 Nov. 2022
• Now, the risk of injury that would short-circuit a lucrative career as a sire seems to loom a lot larger.
  — New York Times, 12 June 2018
• Rye, whose last race was a third in the 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano, really gets shorted up for this race.
  — John Cherwa, latimes.com, 20 May 2018
• Yet, on Friday night, just a moment, there was a jolt, strong enough perhaps to short out the sound system at the Bad Bunny concert across the street.
  — Dallas News, 9 Sep. 2022
• If any one of the pins shows continuity, then the compressor is shorted out.
  — Brett Martin, Popular Mechanics, 14 Feb. 2017
• The pleats on its front convincingly disguise the style as a skirt, but the back looks like a pair of trouser shorts with a back button pocket.
  — Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 1 Aug. 2023
• The weapon delivers a surge of energy that can short out anything from cell phones to power grids.
  — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 8 July 2022
• Some of them may sell or short the stocks, betting a deluge of shares is about to hit the market, driving the price into a slump known as an overhang.
  — Gillian Tan, Bloomberg.com, 27 Mar. 2022
• Baseball owners who refuse to cut the schedule to 140 games and start the season May 1 should have to wear those White Sox shorts uniforms each day there’s a rainout.
  — Steve Rosenbloom, chicagotribune.com, 17 Apr. 2018

Last Updated: 9 May 2024