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

Although most developers would like to avoid the term Metroidvania — which is now shorthand for any 2D platformer that features exploring a pseudo-gated open world with tons of backtracking required — there’s really no way to avoid it. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025

Even a color can be a shorthand to demonstrate something. —Evan Nicole Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025

This is why there’s so many French artists working on this film because there’s a shorthand between me and my crew. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 11 June 2025

He’s painted that cloth in carmine, and that water, and the transition of different aspects of fauna, or flesh, so much in his life that he’s developed a kind of shorthand way of doing it. —Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 9 June 2025

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