as in lacks
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there was a troubling shortage of supplies for the troops overseas this year
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Recent Examples of shortages
At the same time, a currency collapsing under international sanctions, water shortages and recurring power outages have sharpened a sense of crisis across the country.
—
Roxana Saberi, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
At El Tejaban Mexican Grill in Richfield, sales have dropped by as much as 50%, forcing reduced hours and staffing shortages.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dubbed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, the new measure comes as state officials have warned that Illinois may face energy shortages and higher bills as data centers and artificial intelligence needs drive a surge in demand.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Proponents argue that these AI programs can help relieve staff burnout and worker shortages by reducing time spent on medical records, referrals and other administrative tasks.
—Martha Bebinger, NPR, 9 Jan. 2026
Since the early years of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and 2021, hospitals have been pressed to raise wages to avert staff shortages while federal Medicaid and Medicare payments failed to keep pace with medical inflation, according to the American Hospital Association.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
Bailey served as Randal Taylor’s assistant chief for four years between 2020 and 2024, a turbulent time for the department marked by social justice protests, an explosion in police action shootings and police staffing shortages.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 8 Jan. 2026
Hữu Huân Egg coffee traces its origin to the resourcefulness of Nguyen Giang, a bartender at what is now the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, who experimented with alternatives to milk when there were shortages during the 1946 Anti-French Resistance War (also called First Indochina War).
—Arundhati Hazra, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Roxana Saberi, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
At El Tejaban Mexican Grill in Richfield, sales have dropped by as much as 50%, forcing reduced hours and staffing shortages.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dubbed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, the new measure comes as state officials have warned that Illinois may face energy shortages and higher bills as data centers and artificial intelligence needs drive a surge in demand.
—Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026
Proponents argue that these AI programs can help relieve staff burnout and worker shortages by reducing time spent on medical records, referrals and other administrative tasks.
—Martha Bebinger, NPR, 9 Jan. 2026
Since the early years of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and 2021, hospitals have been pressed to raise wages to avert staff shortages while federal Medicaid and Medicare payments failed to keep pace with medical inflation, according to the American Hospital Association.
—Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
Bailey served as Randal Taylor’s assistant chief for four years between 2020 and 2024, a turbulent time for the department marked by social justice protests, an explosion in police action shootings and police staffing shortages.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 8 Jan. 2026
Hữu Huân Egg coffee traces its origin to the resourcefulness of Nguyen Giang, a bartender at what is now the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, who experimented with alternatives to milk when there were shortages during the 1946 Anti-French Resistance War (also called First Indochina War).
—Arundhati Hazra, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Jan. 2026
China’s apparent surge in missile production comes as the US expends sophisticated defense systems in Ukraine and Israel, causing some ammunition shortages and sparking debate in Washington about how and where to deploy its high-end weapons.
—Tamara Qiblawi, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortages
Noun
-
So Vegas has to hope that their forward depth is strong enough to balance out where their star power lacks, relative to other contenders.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
This absence — of God, of love, of plain community spirit — is a metaphor for the whole parish, where everyone is defined by their own lacks and deficiencies, the weaknesses that cause Wicks to despise them and vow to bring down them all.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That may come down to the performance of the Bears defense, which has relied on a league-best 33 turnovers to make up for other deficiencies.—
Hank Gola,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
From vitamin D deficiencies to stumbling circadian rhythms, all these extra dark hours can cause major sleep disruptors.—
Hunter Boyce,
AJC.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Gold is a traditional safe haven against inflation, mounting deficits, geopolitical tensions and general economic concerns.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
14 Jan. 2026
-
On top of that, Petek wrote that over the last four years the governor and Legislature had plugged $125 billion in budget holes largely without addressing the structural differences between spending and revenue which have led budget deficits to grow over time.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This is because climate change and ecological collapse are very likely to cause political fragmentation that nullifies legal and cultural precedents like abolition, and bring about agrarian and manufacturing crises and scarcities in which people are forced into labor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Dec. 2025
-
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortages. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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