1
as in little
having relatively little height
a lot of boys are shorter than the girls in middle school, but they quickly catch up by high school
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in brief
not lasting for a considerable time
fortunately for those of us in the hot sun, the graduation speech was short and to the point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in lacking
not coming up to an expected measure or meeting a particular need
regrettably, the art supplies are short this year, so you'll have to share
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in brittle
having a texture that readily breaks into little pieces under pressure
short pastry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in blunt
being or characterized by direct, brief, and potentially rude speech or manner
I didn't mean to be so short with you by responding to your request with a snippy "I'm busy!"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abruptly
with great suddenness
the bicyclist ahead of me unexpectedly pulled up short and I unavoidably plowed into him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in feature
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 short
Rebeca Schiller, Verywell Health, 16 May 2025
DeChambeau battled, but could not get his part of his short game going.
—Savannah Leigh Richardson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 11 May 2025
The Huskies won the Big East regular-season championship in 2022 and ’23, but came up short in the conference tournament.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025
One way investors can ride the wave of optimism heading into 2025 is by shorting Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF and buying the equal-weighted S & P 500 Index, according to Trivariate Research.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 29 Nov. 2024
Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
Who could forget the Uggs and micro shorts era that briefly broke the internet?
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Studies with limited parameters like small participant groups and short trial periods indicate that turmeric aids in healing these conditions.
—Rebeca Schiller, Verywell Health, 16 May 2025
DeChambeau battled, but could not get his part of his short game going.
—Savannah Leigh Richardson, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 May 2025
Adverb
But he was tasked with carrying a large load on both ends of the floor for the Warriors, and seemed to run out of gas down the stretch, with a number of looks coming up short.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 11 May 2025
The Huskies won the Big East regular-season championship in 2022 and ’23, but came up short in the conference tournament.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 10 May 2025
Verb
He's heard perhaps the university chancellor at the time of the formula's creation annoyed the wrong person, and UW-Whitewater has been shorted ever since.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 19 Feb. 2025
One way investors can ride the wave of optimism heading into 2025 is by shorting Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF and buying the equal-weighted S & P 500 Index, according to Trivariate Research.
—Brian Evans, CNBC, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
One of the gunmen wore black pants, a black sweatshirt and white sneakers and the other wore a gray hoodie, black shorts and black sneakers, according to police.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2025
Who could forget the Uggs and micro shorts era that briefly broke the internet?
—Olivia Allen, Vogue, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
The musical features a scene about little Sarah making her joke about Jeffrey’s death and no one laughing.—
Stephen Rodrick,
Rolling Stone,
18 May 2025
-
When Carter was little, his mother always included him in her life, as Anderson told PEOPLE in 2016.—
Julie Tremaine,
People.com,
18 May 2025
Adjective
-
India is emerging after a brief conflict with Pakistan, with a ceasefire thankfully appearing to hold for now.—
Vasuki Shastry,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2025
-
Just a brief walk from the preserve’s entrance, this unique grotto reveals a stunning 50-foot waterfall cascading into a jade-green pool.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
Editors’ Picks Darren Criss Does the Robot Image Throughout her career, Ms. Sagan was defiant, facing interviewers with a brittle sophistication.—
Sadie Stein,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
-
Tectonics refers to the processes that deform a rocky planet’s brittle outer shell.—
Elise Cutts,
Scientific American,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
Her brand features blunt honesty and humor, as well as fashion, beauty, and lifestyle tips.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
-
City’s video tribute was a tear-jerker, and less hardy characters than De Bruyne — nicknamed ‘the tumble dryer’ due to his dry (and blunt) approach — would surely have cracked and let the tears roll.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Adverb
-
The film, which is not political, was abruptly placed back on the schedule within two hours of my reaching out to PBS for comment.—
Daniel Engber,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
-
The Trump administration abruptly replaced the acting head of FEMA with just weeks to go before the beginning of hurricane season, and replaced him with a Department of Homeland Security official with no emergency management experience.—
Rebecca Hersher,
NPR,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
Umberto Rispoli squeezed between horses around the top of the stretch and then rode Journalism to a tremendous rally.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
24 May 2025
-
Martinez’s son squeezed the trigger five times, shooting Rivera to death and wounding two others, the detective wrote in the affidavit.—
Matthew Ormseth,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
Noun
-
The Jubilee first set sail in 2023, and includes features like IMAX theaters, a rollercoaster, and rope courses, perfect to keep solo travelers and families busy.—
Martie Bowser,
Essence,
22 May 2025
-
Pinho was previously in Cannes with debut feature film The Nothing Factory, which premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2017, receiving the Fipresci Prize.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
22 May 2025
Adjective
-
Ellie finds a small fishing boat to take her across the water to the aquarium.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
26 May 2025
-
Pay Attention to Heavy Metals Some chocolate contains small amounts of cadmium and lead—and dark chocolate tends to be the bigger offender.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share