short of

preposition

: other than

especially : of a lesser degree than

had few options short of replacing the motor

Examples of short of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The clock was a few seconds short of the one-hour mark at the end, but Young was done. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026

And although falling just short of winning a second World Cup trophy with France, Mbappé also had a tournament to remember. — Amanda Davies, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Two Powerball tickets sold in California fell just one number short of winning the $298 million jackpot, lottery officials said. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026

The 2023 rate was about 58%, the third-lowest of any suburban municipality, meaning the city fell $24 million short of target. — A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1560, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for short of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove