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 brittle
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of short
Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 22 Apr. 2025
Despite scoring only five points at Penn State on March 1, Rice’s short baseline jumper with 17 seconds left cemented a 68-64 victory.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
As for his own team, Ancelotti will make a series of changes to the first XI that came up short against Valencia.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025
The 255 classic Looney Tunes shorts that survived the Warner Bros.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
Bailey Richards, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025
The role of Nell was not in the original short that the film was based on.
—EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Since then, stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and more have modernized the look and kept the trend alive with a shorter, choppier version.
—Catharine Malzahn, Glamour, 22 Apr. 2025
Despite scoring only five points at Penn State on March 1, Rice’s short baseline jumper with 17 seconds left cemented a 68-64 victory.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
Adverb
At Dynasty, Strickland fell short to AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley in the main event after the return of The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson).
—Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
As for his own team, Ancelotti will make a series of changes to the first XI that came up short against Valencia.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
The groom’s cake was a 3D replica of Patrick wearing Louis Vuitton shorts on a patch of green icing grass, holding a golf club, a football at his feet.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2025
The 255 classic Looney Tunes shorts that survived the Warner Bros.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025
Noun
The pop icon, 39, and her fiancé, Michael Polansky, stepped out for lunch at Soho House West Hollywood on Sunday, April 20, with Polansky rocking a casual ensemble, and Gaga wearing head-to-toe black — including micro shorts, knee-high socks and towering platform shoes.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025
The role of Nell was not in the original short that the film was based on.
—EW.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Obstetricians say, at the end of the day, AFE is really just a product of bad luck, and there's little that can be done to prevent it.—
Adrianna Rodriguez,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
-
His gutting of government—and lurching reboots—does little to project steadiness, either.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Inflation gauge cools ahead of Trump's tariffs, but spending climbs A key measure of inflation eased in March, offering a brief reprieve before President Donald Trump's new tariffs begin taking full effect.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The main threats will be damaging winds and large hail, but brief tornadoes can't be ruled out.—
Kenton Gewecke,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Osteoporosis causes the bones to become incredibly brittle.—
Caroline C. Boyle,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
If polyethylene and polypropylene aren’t completely separated during recycling, the resulting mix can be brittle and generally unusable for creating new products.—
Alex Jordan,
The Conversation,
16 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
All four were pronounced deceased at the scene as a result of blunt force injuries sustained in the crash, Allmon said.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2025
-
One of the men, Terry Carter, would die from multiple blunt force injuries within the hour.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
Across Spain and Portugal, trains and traffic lights abruptly stopped working.—
Natasha Bernal,
Wired News,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The Department of Justice announced Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will reinstate the immigration records of international students whose student visa data had been abruptly terminated, often due to minor or dismissed legal infractions.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
For now, the researchers have left the ship in situ, partially covering it with original soil and squeezing wet sponges onto it to preserve moisture.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
30 Apr. 2025
-
The question of whether a modern Phantom can squeeze through the driveway gates remains to be seen.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The ability of car companies to charge users to activate some features is effectively the only reason the car’s systems need to communicate with cell towers.—
Dell Cameron,
Wired News,
28 Apr. 2025
-
The company, which has recently released features such as Flow, Hard Truths and My Favourite Cake, plans to launch Post Truth in the second half of June in at least 20 Turkish cities.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Although set in the small city, the movie was reportedly filmed in several locations in Louisiana.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
-
As fall approached, I was sent from the station to put out a small lightning fire several miles from my tower.—
Charles Elliott,
Outdoor Life,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share