shortcut

1 of 2

noun

short·​cut ˈshȯrt-ˌkət How to pronounce shortcut (audio)
 also  -ˈkət
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

shortcut

2 of 2

verb

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

Noun 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. Verb are you sure there's no way to shortcut the entrance requirements?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But designing courses of this kind, which resist AI shortcuts, would require professors to undertake new and time-consuming labor themselves. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2025 Grandma wasn't against a secret shortcut, so this recipe calls for a package of frozen puff pastry dough to have these on the table in a pinch. Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
Along the way, each blazed a trail that earned them the kind of wisdom that’s impossible to shortcut. Erin Spencer Sairam, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025 But any items or keyboard shortcuts your app puts into one of these menus are moved to the menu bar on iPadOS 26. ArsTechnica, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for shortcut

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1637, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1915, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of shortcut was in 1637

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shortcut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shortcut. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

shortcut

1 of 2 noun
short·​cut ˈshȯrt-ˌkət How to pronounce shortcut (audio)
-ˈkət
: a shorter, quicker, or easier way
a shortcut through the woods
a shortcut to fame

shortcut

2 of 2 verb
shortcut; shortcutting
: to take or use a shortcut

More from Merriam-Webster on shortcut

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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