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 crisp
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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of short
Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 May 2026
Olivia White, Time, 29 May 2026
Blakeman didn’t come up short on contributions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 May 2026
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Bach, 72, played Daisy Duke, the confident, strong-willed cousin who made ultra-short denim shorts a fashion moment on the show from 1979 to 1985.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Adam Bell
april 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
The Canucks, who entered the game 58 points behind the Avalanche, scored in all sorts of ways, including 29 seconds into the game, short-handed, on the power play and into an empty net to snap a six-game slide.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Iran has 972 pounds of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
—Arkansas Online, 25 May 2026
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Star-Telegram Weather Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 May 2026
Adverb
For example, high-performance memory chips are almost exclusively produced in South Korea and ran short in 2025.
—Olivia White, Time, 29 May 2026
Blakeman didn’t come up short on contributions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 29 May 2026
Verb
The high-momentum long-short basket – a strategy of owning the most persistent outperformers and shorting the deepest laggards – has only gained 20% or more over three months 11 times before today.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 19 May 2026
Bach, 72, played Daisy Duke, the confident, strong-willed cousin who made ultra-short denim shorts a fashion moment on the show from 1979 to 1985.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Through a dozen feature films and one local short, the festival’s films invite audiences to reflect on resilience, identity and powerful storytelling in the face of adversity, according to Giovanna Torres, founder of Cine Casual.
—Adam Bell
april 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
The Canucks, who entered the game 58 points behind the Avalanche, scored in all sorts of ways, including 29 seconds into the game, short-handed, on the power play and into an empty net to snap a six-game slide.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
When Gary Vernon began riding mountain bikes in Arkansas almost 40 years ago, there was very little infrastructure intended for riders without deep experience—or a devil-may-care attitude.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Emergency reserves have little oil to spare and fuel stockpiles are facing critical lows as peak summer demand months approach.—
Devika Krishna Kumar,
Fortune,
6 June 2026
Adjective
-
After a brief trip to the locker room, Brunson quickly returned to the bench and eventually re-entered the game.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
The fact that no player had posted a tribute to the outgoing coach had raised some eyebrows until Van Dijk posted his own brief missive on social media.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Maresca’s raw qualifications, however, are somewhat lacking.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Not just any type of bus, but a marshrutka—a crowded, rumbling, claustrophobic Soviet holdover minibus, solidly built with steel girding and equally lacking in shock absorbers and seat padding.—
Irene Zabytko
May 7,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Roman will pair a large field of view with crisp infrared vision to survey deep, vast swaths of sky.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 June 2026
-
This Quince 100 Percent Organic Cotton Poplin Long-sleeve Shirt is lightweight yet crisp, ideal for a cool spring day or the hot summer sun’s rays.—
Nneya Richards,
Travel + Leisure,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
The other man died from what a police official described as blunt force injuries.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
Greta Lee is officially back on team bangs, debuting a blunt new fringe on Thursday at the UK premiere of Toy Story 5 in London.—
Mykenna Maniece,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Adverb
-
Sturgeon led the Scottish government for almost a decade but abruptly resigned as first minister in February 2023.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
-
Nonetheless, a strong breeze threatens that window to shut abruptly.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Attendees seemed keen to squeeze as much networking as possible out of the gala, often chatting with their associates and neighbors during speakers’ remarks.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
-
Fuel supplies squeezed Russian emergency services acknowledged Saturday that a fire had broken out at the oil depot in Krasnodar.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
How about the digs—any notable features there?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
-
Traffic calming features and safety measures for pedestrian and bicyclists were added in 2021, but they were only meant to be temporary.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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