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 49ers stopped Stafford short of the goal line, and the 49ers subsequently drove 99 yards for a touchdown. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Emmys nights one and two saw Widow’s Bay pick up a whopping eight trophies, one short of The Studio’s total of nine last year, and this evening might end with Widow’s Bay grabbing a lot of the same awards The Studio did last year. — Vulture Staff, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026

If the Oilers fall well short of a championship, McDavid delaying extension talks is within the realm of possibility. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

There are certainly fans and pundits who feel that anything short of a title shouldn’t be celebrated in sports, and some who think carousing over anything less is especially beneath the Yankees, who have won 27 World Series but zero since 2009. — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 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