short and sweet

idiomatic phrase

: pleasantly brief : not long in duration or extent

That's the way we like the meetings—short and sweet.

I've got a few announcements, but I'll keep it short and sweet.

The burger joint's short and sweet menu sticks to the classics with beef and vegan burgers and a fried chicken sandwich …—

Dua Anjum

Examples of short and sweet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Keep it short and sweet with the timeless silhouette in Gianvito Rossi’s chelsea style or Massimo Dutti’s sleek silhouette. —

Christina Holevas, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024 The shelves of ethicists are filled with books pondering why good people do bad things, and their answers are rarely short and sweet. —

Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024 Pick activities that are short and sweet and can end early. —

Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 8 Oct. 2024 Sabrina Carpenter just climbed back to the top of the Billboard 200, and her reaction to the milestone was aptly short and sweet. —

Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for short and sweet

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'short and sweet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1545, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of short and sweet was in 1545

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Short and sweet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/short%20and%20sweet. Accessed 25 Oct. 2024.

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