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

Golden battled injuries, but his rookie year fell well short of everyone’s expectations anyway. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026

The projections put AfD at least marginally short of an absolute majority for now, but that could change. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

The Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, crushed its mainstream rivals but fell just short of a majority in the eastern Saxony-Anhalt region. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026

The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany, or AfD, fell just short of a majority in Sunday’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, a small eastern state that gained outsized prominence as AfD eyed power there. — ABC News, 7 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