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
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Recent Examples of short
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Typically, wide-bandwidth amplifiers rely on thin, short crystals, while high-efficiency systems need long crystals.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The Blue Jays nearly defeated the Dodgers in Game 6 on Friday night, but the valiant comeback attempt fell short in the ninth inning as Los Angeles was able to turn a game-ending double play.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Due to its sharp increase of votes for Tarrant County College, all the other taxing entities were shorted the number of votes they are entitled to, Barnes said.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Accompanied by a bevy of dancers dressed in camo shorts and white T-shirts and her DJ, their commander of the night turned up the heat with her performance, and while initially wearing a short camo jacket.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
To assess with how the righteous American dream grew distorted, Makowsky’s series (directed by Matt Ross) peers all the way past our 25 most recent presidents to find the long-term lessons in our country’s second-shortest presidency.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Typically, wide-bandwidth amplifiers rely on thin, short crystals, while high-efficiency systems need long crystals.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025
Adverb
In 2021, Brown fell short to a progressive challenger only to win in November as a write-in.
—CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The Blue Jays nearly defeated the Dodgers in Game 6 on Friday night, but the valiant comeback attempt fell short in the ninth inning as Los Angeles was able to turn a game-ending double play.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
Electric telegraph lines across Europe and the Americas shorted out.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Due to its sharp increase of votes for Tarrant County College, all the other taxing entities were shorted the number of votes they are entitled to, Barnes said.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Filmed over seven years, this documentary short is a deeply personal East-meets-West story of mutual healing.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Accompanied by a bevy of dancers dressed in camo shorts and white T-shirts and her DJ, their commander of the night turned up the heat with her performance, and while initially wearing a short camo jacket.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Dick is sympathetic to Leroy’s perspective, noting that being Black in the military means having your personal life scrutinized, which is little comfort for Charlotte.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Sketches such as last night’s Oval Office monologue compact the coal of the administration’s info dumps into little diamonds of comedy, freeing the writers and cast to pursue more escapist fare.—
Erik Adams,
The Atlantic,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
And all of that offers a certain salvation, a shelter of sorts from the unjustly brief and linear time we are given.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
-
There will be a brief history of the Honor Wall and a dedication to the late Dan Foster, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Army and is a cofounder of the Alpine Veterans Wall of Honor.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
But Wild coach John Hynes noted in training camp that Jiricek’s decision making in the heat of the battle in the defensive zone is sometimes lacking.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 Oct. 2025
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And the flick, based on Hoover’s bestselling novel, lays it on thick alongside a lacking narrative and cringey dialogue.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Halfdays Pieper Recycled Polyester Fleece Quarter Zip Top On crisp fall mornings or at the summit of a mountain, the Halfdays Pieper quarter-zip fleece is my cozy layer of choice.—
Ariana Dickson,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Nov. 2025
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This practice of airing out your bedding is maintained in Scandinavian and other cold-weather cultures, where it's been practiced for centuries to maximize the crisp freshness of laundry day.—
Abby Wolner,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The right’s defense is equally blunt.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Hosts often want to hint that the evening is wrapping up without being blunt.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Then, abruptly, back to lightness, was a video showing a newborn’s heartwarming first encounter with the family dog.—
Lindsay Lowe,
Parents,
8 Nov. 2025
-
In the opening minutes, Courteney is abruptly fired over a barely scandalous video leak.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The polls had him on top for months, and his decision to focus his mayoral campaign on cost-of-living issues proved to be the right one in a city where residents are increasingly squeezed between growing rents and ever costlier public services.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Aid is declining and rising debt is squeezing public budgets.—
Obiageli Ezekwesili,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Tesla has implemented autopilot and self-driving features on its vehicles that include traffic-aware cruise control, semi-autonomous navigation, response to traffic lights and the ability to summon the car from a parking space.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
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Best known for her acting roles in Friends, Cougar Town and the Scream franchise, behind the camera, Cox has directed across various genres and mediums, from music videos, and short form projects to television and feature films.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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