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

And while Hill is paying a half-million-dollar price for his battery, the judgment falls well short of expectations the plaintiff may have carried into the start of the trial. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Owners of the self-pour taproom and cocktail bar shared the news in an Instagram post Wednesday, but stopped just short of confirming its last day in business. — Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026

Rockets are launching to space on a near-daily basis these days, but short of livestreaming a liftoff from the comfort of your Wi-Fi router, relatively few spectators are in the right place and time to see one with their own eyes. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 13 Oct. 2026

This was a major blunder, leaving the United States with no way short of war to stop Iran’s drive for a nuclear weapon. — Alfred H. Moses, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 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