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
The water shorted his air conditioning unit.
—
Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Paramount stock is more heavily shorted by far than shares in its media peers, which can increase volatility.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Paramount stock is more heavily shorted by far than shares in its media peers, which can increase volatility.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shorted
Verb
-
Around the time that the reunion aired, however, allegations that Pepe cheated began to circulate.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Passed over to his hapless son (Dacre Montgomery), our (anti-)hero wires a shotgun to his head and takes him hostage, claiming that the organization’s business maneuvers cheated him out of a substantial fortune.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Ortega, 22, hit the red carpet in a look plucked straight from Givenchy's runway show, which featured several oversized jewels that draped against her chest and upper body.—
Starr Bowenbank,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
-
You got plucked from obscurity to do this project.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some people who have bought homes in the last few years feel squeezed by monthly payments that leave little cash left over.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Thomas turned around and squeezed DeChambeau’s leg with anxiety, his face in a nervous grimace.—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Last year’s finals loss stung because the Lynx came so close.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Congressional Democrats feel stung by the mass layoffs and program cuts that followed the last stopgap spending deal in March.—
Ronald J. Hansen,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And before the card shop owner from Lexington, Kentucky, could introduce himself to the NBA player, the 6-foot-7 LaRavia hustled over and beat him to it.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Agents grabbed one man who appeared to be charging up the driveway, pinned him to the ground and hustled him behind the gate with his hands behind his back.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Boston Herald,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Having obvious trouble is Lesley, who put a layer of shortbread under her flapjack, which screwed up the cooking time, which screwed up the decorating time, which left Lesley, well, screwed.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
-
And then everyone else beyond those 35 million people also get screwed, because when all of that money gets pulled out of the health care system, prices go up for everyone, hospitals close.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Investors and economists are stuck looking to other sources of data for information about the economy.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In the meantime, borrowers stuck in the backlog may not be making progress toward loan forgiveness, either under the terms of an IDR plan or through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shorted. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share