shortcut

play

noun short·cut \ ˈshȯrt-ˌkət also -ˈkət \

Definition of shortcut

1 :a route more direct than the one ordinarily taken

2 :a method or means of doing something more directly and quickly than and often not so thoroughly as by ordinary procedure

a shortcut to success

3 :a key or combination of keys on a computer keyboard programmed to perform a specific function when pressed

You can open any item by clicking it or by assigning it a keyboard shortcut.
—Christopher Breen

— called also hot key

See shortcut defined for English-language learners

See shortcut defined for kids

Examples of shortcut in a Sentence

Wait, I know a shortcut. Turn left here.
We took a shortcut home.
Let's take the shortcut through the woods.
I used a shortcut to calculate the total weight.
There are no shortcuts to learning another language.
Mistakes were made because too many shortcuts were taken.

Recent Examples of shortcut from the Web

Unfortunately, the minor mechanical failure was magnified by gross navigational incompetence; the two patrol boats were behind schedule and either got lost or tried to take a shortcut.

— christopher harmer, Fortune, "The Navy Is at a Breaking Point. Here’s Who Can Save It.," 22 Aug. 2017
Social media has been really nice in [creating] shortcuts to different people.

— zan romanoff, GQ, "Travel Advice from the Interior Designer Who Furnished Richard Branson's Island," 7 Aug. 2017
Leah Becerra, Neil Nakahodo, Donna McGuire and Judy Thomas The Kansas City Star Insurance shortcutsRunning a party bus company legally and ethically doesn’t come cheap.

— donna mcguire and judy l. thomas, kansascity, "Party buses promise a good time, but some can be dangerous — even deadly," 27 July 2017
The system, after all, was conceived during a bygone pre-Internet age when so much copy hit the desk at a single time and certain standards and shortcuts needed to be applied.

— joe pompeo, The Hive, "The Agony and the Anxiety of The New York Times," 24 July 2017
Magic is surreal and defiant — a shortcut past the restrictions of reality.

— by emily parnell, kansascity.com, "Stumped? Let your mystical dream self come up with the answers," 5 July 2017
Taking safety shortcuts to boost productivity to the level managers wanted to see isn’t just a foreign problem, Almodovar warned.

— patrick malone, Science | AAAS, "A near-disaster at a federal nuclear weapons," 29 June 2017
Police said Gulliver took a shortcut home, through the park behind the high school and never made it out.

— CBS News, "Cops issue warning after woman stabbed to death in Philadelphia park," 27 June 2017
Up to this point, iOS users have had little choice over which settings shortcuts were accessible through the Control Center (launched by swiping up from the bottom of the screen).

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "The Best iOS 11 Features We've Tried So Far," 26 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shortcut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of shortcut

1637

shortcut

verb

Definition of shortcut

shortcut; shortcutting

transitive verb

:to shorten (a route, a procedure, etc.) by use of a shortcut; also :circumvent

intransitive verb

:to take or use a shortcut

Examples of shortcut in a Sentence

are you sure there's no way to shortcut the entrance requirements?

Recent Examples of shortcut from the Web

These kinds of horizontal gene transfers, where genes shortcut the usual passage from parent to offspring and instead move directly between individuals, are rare in animals, but common among bacteria.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "How Mushrooms Became Magic," 24 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of shortcut

1915

shortcut Synonyms

Synonyms

beat, bypass, dodge, get around, circumvent, sidestep, skirt

Antonyms

comply (with), follow, keep, obey, observe

Related Words

avoid, duck, elude, end-run, escape, eschew, evade, outflank, shake, shirk, shun; disobey, disregard, flout, ignore; avert, deflect, divert, obviate, parry, prevent, ward (off)

Near Antonyms

accede (to), acquiesce (to), assent (to); accept, court, embrace, pursue, seek, welcome; catch, contract, incur

SHORTCUT Defined for English Language Learners

shortcut

play

noun

Definition of shortcut for English Language Learners

: a shorter, quicker, or easier way to get to a place
: a quicker or easier way to do something

SHORTCUT Defined for Kids

shortcut

play

noun short·cut \ ˈshȯrt-ˌkət \

Definition of shortcut for Students

:a shorter, quicker, or easier way

Learn More about shortcut

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Examples of shortcut in a Sentence

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shortcut

Definition of shortcut

Examples of shortcut in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shortcut from the Web

First Known Use of shortcut

shortcut Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

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Near Antonyms

SHORTCUT Defined for English Language Learners

shortcut

Definition of shortcut for English Language Learners

SHORTCUT Defined for Kids

shortcut

Definition of shortcut for Students

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