1
as in little
having relatively little height
a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brief
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
regrettably, the art supplies are short this year, so you'll have to share
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in crisp
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
short pastry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
I didn't mean to be so short with you by responding to your request with a snippy "I'm busy!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bicyclist ahead of me unexpectedly pulled up short and I unavoidably plowed into him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in feature
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of short
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
Typically made of terracotta, the pots are usually tall and urn-shaped, but shorter, wider options are also available.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Shawn Tully, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
The Yankees’ bullpen was short-handed after closer David Bednar threw 33 pitches in Saturday night’s 9-7 win, leaving him unavailable for Sunday’s game.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026
Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Those who shorted the provocation phase got crushed by the pivot.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
Substituting another material for copper won’t really work either – at least in the short-to-medium term.
—Adam Charles Simon, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Gone is the long, flowing hair — which accompanied his first five years in the big leagues — and in is a fresh, short cut.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2026
Typically made of terracotta, the pots are usually tall and urn-shaped, but shorter, wider options are also available.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Adverb
The actual figure fell short by over 1 million, or 71%.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
The Yankees’ bullpen was short-handed after closer David Bednar threw 33 pitches in Saturday night’s 9-7 win, leaving him unavailable for Sunday’s game.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2026
Verb
Stanton demonstrates his battery by shorting the coils, which halts the pendulum due to the magnetic field’s braking effect.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
Those who shorted the provocation phase got crushed by the pivot.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
Massachusetts resident Stephen Chukumba, who featured in the original short and has stepped up to producing for this feature, faces less drastic life choices, especially since his transgender son Hobbes, a delightfully phlegmatic, unflappable kid, is now old enough to go off to university.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Mar. 2026
Substituting another material for copper won’t really work either – at least in the short-to-medium term.
—Adam Charles Simon, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
But with Spokane creating little offensively, Andema laid the ball off along his own end line to defender Moussa Ndiaye to start a chaotic sequence that ended with the ball in the back of Boise’s net.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In the ’90s, the peninsula was taken over by a string of summer-only nightclubs, with little regard for the natural surroundings or the ancient cemetery buried in the pine forest.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Suggest a timeline that protects quality, confirm roles in writing, and schedule a brief follow-up to keep everyone aligned, whether partnered, solo, or collaborating.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Breaking from a brief decline, jail deaths again rose statewide in 2025.—
Ryan Oehrli
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
But the upper frequencies are still slightly lacking.—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Loro Parque, a zoo on the island of Tenerife, offers a clean and safe environment, expert care and proper mental and social stimulation that Wikie and Keijo are desperately lacking.—
Valerie Greene,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Mayer envisioned rocking chairs, crisp linens and tasty dinners.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Thursday is a transitional day, one of those crisp, blue-sky days that require sunglasses and a sweater.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The medical examiner ruled Mitchell's death a homicide from blunt force trauma, according to prosecutors.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Some are preaching nirvana or being blunt about impending job loss while appearing to be oblivious to the fact that most people don’t want a world without work.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
But in August 2022, Centene abruptly backed out of the investment.—
Desiree Mathurin,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Roy was in his second job running a team in the league, following a three-year tenure with the Avalanche from 2013-16 that included winning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year and abruptly resigning in the middle of the summer.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Skiers and snowboarders trying to squeeze the last bits of winter fun from Colorado‘s meager snowpack will have one less option after this week, with Vail Resort set to close 11 days sooner than planned.—
Katie Langford,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The disruption has not only sent fuel prices soaring, but has squeezed supplies of petrochemicals needed to make everyday items like shoes, clothing and plastic bags.—
Stephanie Yang,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Special features include a four-person Irish snug attached to the bar, complete with a pass-through for drink service and exterior doors from a 1800s-era church that can close off the space for privacy.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Food delivery worker Idiou Barry on Tuesday demonstrated the battery-charging feature.—
Dave Carlin,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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