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
Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 May 2026
Olivia White, Time, 29 May 2026
Blakeman didn’t come up short on contributions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 May 2026
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Bach, 72, played Daisy Duke, the confident, strong-willed cousin who made ultra-short denim shorts a fashion moment on the show from 1979 to 1985.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Iran has 972 pounds of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
—Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 May 2026
Adverb
For example, high-performance memory chips are almost exclusively produced in South Korea and ran short in 2025.
—Olivia White, Time, 29 May 2026
Blakeman didn’t come up short on contributions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 May 2026
Verb
The high-momentum long-short basket – a strategy of owning the most persistent outperformers and shorting the deepest laggards – has only gained 20% or more over three months 11 times before today.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Bach, 72, played Daisy Duke, the confident, strong-willed cousin who made ultra-short denim shorts a fashion moment on the show from 1979 to 1985.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
The Canucks, who entered the game 58 points behind the Avalanche, scored in all sorts of ways, including 29 seconds into the game, short-handed, on the power play and into an empty net to snap a six-game slide.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
More than two months into the season the Red Sox still rank among MLB’s most disappointing clubs, and a wholesale staff purge has done little to change the team’s fortunes.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
31 May 2026
-
But that is likely to matter little in the vote, with the ruling Prosperity Party expected to dominate amid a fragmented opposition and ongoing violence.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Adjective
-
After a brief trip to the locker room, Brunson quickly returned to the bench and eventually re-entered the game.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
The fact that no player had posted a tribute to the outgoing coach had raised some eyebrows until Van Dijk posted his own brief missive on social media.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Maresca’s raw qualifications, however, are somewhat lacking.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Not just any type of bus, but a marshrutka—a crowded, rumbling, claustrophobic Soviet holdover minibus, solidly built with steel girding and equally lacking in shock absorbers and seat padding.—
Irene Zabytko
May 7,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Print assets like brochures, billboards, business cards and magazine advertisements demand crisp, clear imagery to maintain a professional appearance.—
Anthony Savino,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
The resulting confection is equal parts crisp, tender and lush.—
Jen Rose Smith,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
The other man died from what a police official described as blunt force injuries.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
Greta Lee is officially back on team bangs, debuting a blunt new fringe on Thursday at the UK premiere of Toy Story 5 in London.—
Mykenna Maniece,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
Sturgeon led the Scottish government for almost a decade but abruptly resigned as first minister in February 2023.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
-
Nonetheless, a strong breeze threatens that window to shut abruptly.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Freddie Freeman squeezed one inside the left-field foul pole in the first inning, his fourth home run in nine games (after hitting just one in the previous 35 games).—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
The bedroom is now its own separate space—one that Konieczny managed to squeeze more custom storage inside—and despite having to move the shower and toilet, the bathroom is much more functional as well.—
Nicolas Milon,
Architectural Digest,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
How about the digs—any notable features there?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
Traffic calming features and safety measures for pedestrian and bicyclists were added in 2021, but they were only meant to be temporary.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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