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 brittle
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
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of short
Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2025
Maria Bakalova also made the front row, in a short white suit with sheer overlays.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 28 Jan. 2025
Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
What to Consider The length is about hip height but might run short on those with longer torsos.
—Emily Hochberg, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024
Gwynn pinch hit in the ninth inning and grounded to short in his final at-bat.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Save 20% on breezy cotton shorts with not one, but three pockets.
—Sarah Felbin, SELF, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for short 
Adjective
Their matching blouses are simple button up and collared-style, short sleeve shirts.
—Emily Curiel, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2025
Maria Bakalova also made the front row, in a short white suit with sheer overlays.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 28 Jan. 2025
Adverb
The Toronto Blue Jays consistently came up short on a lot of the top free agents this offseason.
—Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
What to Consider The length is about hip height but might run short on those with longer torsos.
—Emily Hochberg, Travel + Leisure, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
Wright University said the Wright Brothers kept The Evening Item purposely short and ran it from April 1890 to July 1890.
—Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 27 Dec. 2024
Gwynn pinch hit in the ninth inning and grounded to short in his final at-bat.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
In a video of the assault, the man — wearing shorts and a sweatshirt — appears to strike Gaines before a brief struggle.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Save 20% on breezy cotton shorts with not one, but three pockets.
—Sarah Felbin, SELF, 6 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist By Liz Pelly The company brands itself as the ultimate curator, which is amusing considering that, for years after its 2006 founding, Spotify had little interest in playlists at all.—
Brad Shoup,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2025
-
The action is widely seen as taking aim at China, although the U.S. imports little steel directly from the country.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The scripted description of the library was very brief, with just one interesting detail — during installation, the new shelves opened up, like a flower.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2025
-
The first Elam ending finish was great, giving us a dramatic (and brief) fix to the All-Star Game’s erosion.—
Zach Harper,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The world is a brittle place, with disease outbreaks, wars in Gaza and Ukraine and climate change adding to the anxiety.—
Tina Reed,
Axios,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Because of the intense heat produced by the eruption, the scrolls resemble brittle lumps of charcoal.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
In another blunt riff on contemporary politics, Marshall hosts his own Tonight Show, by this point in full fascistic uniform.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Florida’s blunt impact Instead of $182 million to support research, public universities would have received $103 million for indirect costs, a $79 million shortfall, and Florida Atlantic University could have lost roughly $800,000.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
Adverb
-
The wilderness scenes have some foundational issues to deal with as well, like the always awkward moment when a crash survivor who hasn’t done anything of note since the show began is abruptly thrust into prominence.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
14 Feb. 2025
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If the data and tools used to understand complex data are abruptly taken off the internet, the work of scientists, civil society organizations and government officials themselves can grind to a halt.—
Alejandro Paz,
The Conversation,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
These are dunked in grapefruit ponzu or spicy kimchi dressing or simply squeezed with lemon.—
John Metcalfe,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
-
It’s further squeezed by competition from others in the space, including Etsy, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, as well as big-box and online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
According to the twisting, years-long saga recounted in the press notes for this restoration, a negative Variety review out of the Toronto International Film Festival in 1999 was enough to spook distributors from taking on Burnett’s feature.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Cordless Handheld Vacuum $69 at Wayfair The powerful suction is one of the vacuum’s most impressive features.—
Shea Simmons,
People.com,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Is what he’s done a small sample size thing or something more?—
James Mirtle,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
-
No matter if they’re labeled green, farmers’ or artisans’ markets, the gatherings are a source of one-stop shopping for specialty goods that help patrons kick their cooking up a notch while also supporting small businesses.—
Kari Barnett,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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