as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shorted
Still, the trades raised some eyebrows because whoever purchased a large amount of stock futures and sold or shorted crude futures at that moment made a lot of money just minutes later.
—
Yun Li, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
Online and in congressional hearings, Tenev was accused of aiding hedge funds that had shorted GameStop, at amateur traders’ expense.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Those who shorted the provocation phase got crushed by the pivot.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The initial claim from Nebraska was scant on details about how much water is being shorted to Nebraska users.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Electric telegraph lines across Europe and the Americas shorted out.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Due to its sharp increase of votes for Tarrant County College, all the other taxing entities were shorted the number of votes they are entitled to, Barnes said.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
The water shorted his air conditioning unit.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Yun Li, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026
Online and in congressional hearings, Tenev was accused of aiding hedge funds that had shorted GameStop, at amateur traders’ expense.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Those who shorted the provocation phase got crushed by the pivot.
—Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
The initial claim from Nebraska was scant on details about how much water is being shorted to Nebraska users.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025
Electric telegraph lines across Europe and the Americas shorted out.
—Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025
Due to its sharp increase of votes for Tarrant County College, all the other taxing entities were shorted the number of votes they are entitled to, Barnes said.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
The water shorted his air conditioning unit.
—Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shorted
Verb
-
People are robbed, assaulted and cheated.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
-
That does not prove every student cheated.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Elsewhere on the ruby red carpet, Greta Lee paid homage to beloved cowgirl, Jessie, brought to life by Joan Cusack in all five films, wearing a red and white spherical, one-shoulder gown plucked straight from the Christian Dior spring 2026 couture runway.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
10 June 2026
-
Either way, what ancient musicians realized is that changing the length of a string also changed its vibration when plucked, which in turn changed the musical pitch.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Profits are squeezed because of the RAM crisis and Samsung has responded with price increases and weaker deals.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
As the fans beyond it jumped to their feet with their hands raised, Reynolds reached over and squeezed his glove shut around what would have been the go-ahead home run.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Raised in a Hollywood household, with a TV writer dad and hitmaking songwriter sister, Todd skipped college, hustled on TikTok, signed to Columbia and toured with Omar Apollo.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
In a sense, bees went from wild foragers to shift workers, clocking in for bloom season as beekeepers hustled them from farm to farm.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
The keen scent of the fall breeze with its hint of snow now swept down the valley and stung our faces.—
Anton Money,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
-
Drivers stung by high gas prices have enjoyed some welcome relief over the last couple of weeks, even as the impact of the Iran war continues to choke off oil supply.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
For the employees, such as my previous career as a film composer, we are screwed.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 June 2026
-
Anybody who has too long a résumé is screwed.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Everyone can relate to a character waiting for a phone call, or a text, that feeling of being stuck in a purgatorial gap that won’t end until the other person has made contact.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
Outside the arena, reactions were mixed after Trump waved through his tinted window to the crowds stuck behind the barricades across the street.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shorted. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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