shorthand

noun

short·​hand ˈshȯrt-ˌhand 

1

: a method of writing rapidly by substituting characters, abbreviations, or symbols for letters, sounds, words, or phrases : stenography

2

: something likened to shorthand especially in providing rapid or abbreviated communication or representation

Stereotype and cliché serve a purpose as a form of shorthand.

—Stephanie Ericsson

headline shorthand

shorthand adjective

Examples of shorthand in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That ambiguity effectively eliminates a visual shorthand that once defined the stoner genre at a glance. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026

The number 420 itself has also become shorthand for marijuana culture, often used as a colloquial reference to the plant and the act of consuming it. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026

The tension between genuine interest and aesthetic shorthand isn’t a flaw of the trend. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2026

In practice, critics say, the phrase has become shorthand for science in which preferred outcomes outweigh inconvenient evidence. —Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1636, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing shorthand

• in shorthand
• shorthand reporter
• shorthand typist
• take shorthand

Rhymes for shorthand

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand

Kids Definition

shorthand

noun

short·​hand ˈshȯrt-ˌhand 

1

: a method of rapid writing by using symbols for sounds, words, or phrases

2

: a short or quick way of showing or saying something

shorthand adjective