1
as in little
having relatively little height
a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brief
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
regrettably, the art supplies are short this year, so you'll have to share
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in crisp
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
short pastry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
I didn't mean to be so short with you by responding to your request with a snippy "I'm busy!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bicyclist ahead of me unexpectedly pulled up short and I unavoidably plowed into him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in feature
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of short
Tristan Bove, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Shooting on location meant dealing with typhoons, scorpions and snakes, and working with kids meant shorter work days.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
The mac and cheese delivered on creaminess, but otherwise ran short on flavor.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Women, Black adults, lower-income groups, and those with less education are more likely to report short sleep or chronic sleep problems—populations that often work multiple jobs, longer hours, or lack the flexibility to set their own schedules.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 4 May 2026
Shooting on location meant dealing with typhoons, scorpions and snakes, and working with kids meant shorter work days.
—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026
Adverb
The touchdown, an 18-yard reception from redshirt senior quarterback Madsen, saw Jones pull short to receive an underthrown ball and haul the ball into his chest with one hand.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
The mac and cheese delivered on creaminess, but otherwise ran short on flavor.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
The Canucks, who entered the game 58 points behind the Avalanche, scored in all sorts of ways, including 29 seconds into the game, short-handed, on the power play and into an empty net to snap a six-game slide.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Rust spores overwinter in leaf debris and infect new foliage in spring with as little as two to four hours of moisture.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
But certain elements of the package, such as a proposal to expand mayoral authority, received little direct attention during Thursday’s public comment.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
Adjective
-
The Knicks even used their defense to grab a brief lead late in the half, forcing 10 Philadelphia turnovers before the break.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
7 May 2026
-
Nearly 25 years after the attacks, the royal couple laid a bouquet of white flowers at the edge of the south reflecting pool, honoring the lives lost — including 67 British victims — during a brief ceremony on a chilly but sunny afternoon in lower Manhattan.—
Erin Hill,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
With Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Ronny Mauricio all injured, the options are somewhat lacking.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
On the other hand, the playoffs showed how lacking Atlanta is in some areas.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
The extra surface area allowed each patty to develop more browning, resulting in a delicately crisp exterior.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
7 May 2026
-
Bake in center of oven until fruit is cooked through and pastry is crisp and golden, about 40 minutes.—
Judy Bart Kancigor,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Medical examiner records show Athena died from blunt force trauma, smothering and strangulation.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 May 2026
-
Emery will argue his fine-margins approach, however blunt Villa presently appear in attack, could have been validated if Ollie Watkins’ close-range shot was not straight at Stefan Ortega or if Lucas Digne had not flapped his arms inside the box to give away a penalty.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Adverb
-
The company abruptly shut down on Saturday after talks for a government bailout fell apart, stranding passengers and leaving 17,000 people out of jobs.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
3 May 2026
-
Unfortunately, Cubs fans are waking up to the reality that watching those games for free, which generations of Americans did, has abruptly come to an end.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
The global economy and consumers everywhere Consumers across the world are already getting squeezed by the impacts of the war.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
-
In a behind-the-scenes shot by Alex Bramall, Princess Charlotte is seen sitting in front of Eugenie, laughing so hard her eyes are squeezed shut.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
Update to the latest version to see all Vogue content, as well as new features like our Runway Genius quiz, Group Chats, and posts from Vogue contributors.—
Lisa Stardust,
Vogue,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Indeed, Annecy’s official selection, which is dedicated to new releases, includes no fewer than 44 feature films this year, with 14 French films and 26 countries represented in the selection.—
Kevin Giraud,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
