as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
for decades the maverick filmmaker was short-circuited by a chronic lack of funds
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of short-circuit
The trade tensions apparently short-circuited a recent rally in bitcoin.
—
Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
Deep familiarity often short-circuits game plans.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
To be frank, Jarrett’s rush pattern may have short-circuited the Next Gen Stats GPS system with more twists, twirls and figure-eights than an Olympic figure skating routine.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Portelli brought up two more problems that may have short-circuited the boom.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short-circuit
Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 20 Jan. 2026
Deep familiarity often short-circuits game plans.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026
To be frank, Jarrett’s rush pattern may have short-circuited the Next Gen Stats GPS system with more twists, twirls and figure-eights than an Olympic figure skating routine.
—Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
Portelli brought up two more problems that may have short-circuited the boom.
—Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for short-circuit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short-circuit
Verb
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In court Friday, the judge agreed to allow Parente to release surveillance camera footage compiled by investigators in an attempt to prove Martinez was part of a larger coalition of resistors who were attempting to impede immigration agents during Midway Blitz.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Homan says in the past month, 158 people have been arrested for impeding or assaulting federal officers, with 85 cases already accepted for prosecution.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Efforts to pass broader AI regulations have failed in recent years, as lawmakers worried that too much regulation could hinder the state’s burgeoning innovation efforts and scare companies away the state.—
P.R. Lockhart,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
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Whereas Apollo space suits were akin to wearing an inflated balloon that greatly hindered motion, the AxEMU is designed with flexible joints that give astronauts mobility to kneel, jog or even do the splits.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Democratic lawmakers condemn Maxwell’s plea Democrats in the House Oversight Committee denounced Maxwell’s request for a presidential pardon and suggested that Trump’s refusal to rule out such a possibility has hampered the committee’s inquiry.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
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As has been the case many a time during the season, giveaways hampered Golden State for much of the night.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The person appears to first try obstructing the lens with their gloved hand.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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This, along with the 911 calls, led to his arrest for allegedly obstructing police.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Go ahead and embarrass our community with the name change.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
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And then Thaddeus’s arm falls off, embarrassing his companions.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short-circuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short-circuit. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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