as in lack
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there was a troubling shortage of supplies for the troops overseas this year
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Recent Examples of shortage
Government employees who are deemed essential — like TSA agents and air traffic controllers — will continue to work, though they won't get paid until the government is reopened, which could cause staffing shortages and travel delays if employees refuse to show up for shifts.
—
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
The power shortage for the AI buildout is palpable.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
Lower inventory levels generally benefit sellers, and a shortage of available housing can keep Millennial and Gen Z first-time homebuyers out of the market, Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors President Mike Ruzicka previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Staffing shortages during past shutdowns have contributed to snarled flights and could lead to longer security lines.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortage
Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025
The power shortage for the AI buildout is palpable.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
Lower inventory levels generally benefit sellers, and a shortage of available housing can keep Millennial and Gen Z first-time homebuyers out of the market, Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors President Mike Ruzicka previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
—Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Staffing shortages during past shutdowns have contributed to snarled flights and could lead to longer security lines.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortage
Noun
-
As the clock ticks, the lack of urgency in the nation's capital to keep the government's lights on stands in stark contrast to the consequences a shutdown may have for many Americans.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Stoner says that reductions in STI services at the state and local levels, as well as social and economic conditions such as poverty and lack of health insurance, have likely contributed to rising rates of syphilis, which in turn led to increasing rates of congenital syphilis.—
Chantelle Lee,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Elimination can take longer for people who eat a lot of salt, have kidney disease or a potassium deficiency, or are dehydrated.—
MD Published,
Verywell Health,
26 Sep. 2025
-
That’s a bad recipe for a CU team that’s yet to solve its deficiencies in the trenches.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Rolling blackouts, water scarcity, and economic barriers strip away these options.—
Elfatih Eltahir,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Mamdani clearly knows how to communicate ebullience, a talent that is all the more potent for its scarcity in current political life.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But for the millions of people bearing the brunt of housing deficits and the global housing mismatch, this sounds like a promising approach to partially tackling these issues.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
30 Sep. 2025
-
But a week later, Army finished what North Dakota couldn’t, rallying from a 13-0 deficit for a 24-21 road win.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortage. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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