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
Relevance
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 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
-
The reportedly yearlong relationship is notable in that, after their split in 2015, Stocking posted and deleted tweets saying the basketball player cheated, per The New York Post.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This is the same team that cheated and got caught how many times, going back to Bill Belichick and golden boy Tom Brady (Deflategate)?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s no trace of anything strummed or plucked; clusters of tone simply materialize out of thin air, as capricious as weather.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
-
He’s plucked employees from companies like Uber, Google, and Facebook to professionalize the place.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, American families are getting squeezed by high gas prices, unaffordable housing, soaring grocery bills and out-of-touch politicians who are more focused on woke ideology than on real solutions.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Geneva coach Brad Wendell knew that Kastor’s slow start last season squeezed him out of the lineup.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Caminero led off with a walk, then hustled to third when Aranda followed with a single.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
Alec Bohm drove in a run with a slow roller when Harper hustled to beat shortstop Otto Lopez's throw to second.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Otherwise, the what-if blues would’ve stung a lot longer.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Nuggets have lost plenty of playoff games the past two springs, but few have stung like this.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Miranda Priestly can get thrown in steerage, we’re all screwed.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But that doesn’t mean working people aren’t getting screwed.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With Venus in Gemini aligning with Pluto in Aquarius, honest conversations help shift situations that have been stuck.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
But as OutKick’s Joe Kinsey noted, the platform would often combine WNBA and NFL games, leaving subscribers stuck watching both.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shorted. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
