short

¹short

adj \ˈshȯrt\

Definition of SHORT

1

a : having little length b : not tall or high : low

2

a : not extended in time : brief <a short vacation> b : not retentive <a short memory> c : expeditious, quick <made short work of the problem> d : seeming to pass quickly <made great progress in just a few short years>

3

a of a speech sound : having a relatively short duration b : being the member of a pair of similarly spelled vowel or vowel-containing sounds that is descended from a vowel that was short in duration but is no longer so and that does not necessarily have duration as its chief distinguishing feature <short i in sin> c of a syllable in prosody (1) : of relatively brief duration (2) : unstressed

4

: limited in distance <a short trip>

5

a : not coming up to a measure or requirement : insufficient <in short supply> b : not reaching far enough <the throw to first was short> c : enduring privation d : insufficiently supplied <short of cash> <short on brains>

6

a : abrupt, curt <I'm sorry I was short with you> b : quickly provoked <a short temper>

7

: choppy 2

8

: payable at an early date <a short loan>

9

a : containing or cooked with shortening; also : flaky <short pastry> b of metal : brittle under certain conditions

10

a : not lengthy or drawn out <a short speech> b : made briefer : abbreviated

11

a : not having goods or property that one has sold in anticipation of a fall in prices b : consisting of, relating to, or engaging in the sale of securities or commodities that the seller does not possess or has not contracted for at the time of the sale <short sale> <a short seller>

12

: near the end of a tour of duty

— short·ish \ˈshȯr-tish\ adjective

— short·ness \ˈshȯrt-nəs\ noun

— in short order

: with dispatch : quickly

Examples of SHORT

1. One of my legs is slightly shorter than the other.
2. He is short for his age.
3. the shortest day of the year
4. Life's too short to worry about the past.
5. The movie was very short.
6. You have done a lot in a short space of time.
7. a short burst of speed
8. I've only lived here for a short time.
9. She has made great progress in a few short years.
10. He visited for two short weeks.

Origin of SHORT

Middle English, from Old English sceort; akin to Old High German scurz short, Old Norse skortr lack

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to SHORT

Synonyms: little, low, low-lying, low-slung, sawed-off

Antonyms: altitudinous, high, lofty, tall, towering

Related Words: dwarf, dwarfish; compact, petite, slight; diminutive, half-pint, pint-size (or pint-sized), pocket, pocket-size (also pocket-sized), pygmy, small, smallish; bantam, bitty, dinky, mini, miniature, minimized, minute, puny, teeny, teeny-weeny, tiny, undersized (also undersize), wee; dumpy, flat, scrubby, squat, squatty, stubby, stumpy, stunted

Near Antonyms: elevated, lifted, raised, uplifted, upswept; high-rise, statuesque; gangling, gangly, lanky, rangy; big, bulky, hefty, hulking, large, largish, outsize (also outsized), oversize (or oversized), sizable (or sizeable), voluminous

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