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
Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
Manh’s credits include short film Before The Sea Forgets, which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, and Ky Nam Inn, selected for Toronto’s Special Presentations.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 10 May 2026
Roses were gently laid across the caskets before eight white doves were released into the sky, their wings unfurling into the clouds — a cruel irony beside the eight young lives below, cut short before their stories ever had the chance to unfurl at all.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
The shoes had a low rounded vamp, softly squared cap toe and short tapered heel, bringing a two-texture black finish to her purple lace dress.
—Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 11 May 2026
Manh’s credits include short film Before The Sea Forgets, which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, and Ky Nam Inn, selected for Toronto’s Special Presentations.
—Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Adverb
The Raiders scored a late goal and fell short by one.
—Alex Kushel, Sun Sentinel, 10 May 2026
Roses were gently laid across the caskets before eight white doves were released into the sky, their wings unfurling into the clouds — a cruel irony beside the eight young lives below, cut short before their stories ever had the chance to unfurl at all.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Verb
Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses.
—Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026
Either way, the potential for a shakeout is prompting some to short the market, the Wall Street Journal’s Gregory Zuckerman wrote this week.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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
As Salim, Bakri avoids the kind of short-temperedness that incorrectly defines Arab men in the public imagination.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Rami feared the worst, but head coach Didier Deschamps reasoned that there was little to gain from laying down the law when the mood in the camp was so positive and elected to forgive him.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement are alarmed by the speed of the rollbacks, noting that protections won through generations of sacrifice have been weakened in little more than a decade.—
Kim Chandler,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
This brief genius window can make strategy clearer, reveal missing pieces, and turn vague ideas into usable next steps.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
-
Concentrate and take care of the ball During his brief tenure at Stamford Bridge, Rosenior frequently lamented Chelsea’s inability to take care of moments.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
So many young players come up the ranks lacking game management.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Longoria took a more casual approach with her look, but the crisp shade made the outfit appear put-together.—
Rylee Johnston,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
-
Creamy corn, crisp crumb topping, and melty cheese just seal the deal.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Asked if the best players have to be better, Dahlin offered a blunt response in the locker room after the game.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
The slick creatures, with their blunt heads and whiskers, are sometimes easy to spot in the water, but the restaurants that have perfected eating them are a bit harder to find.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Southern Living,
15 May 2026
Adverb
-
The Ligue 1 clash between FC Nantes and Toulouse FC was abruptly abandoned.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
He was abruptly moved from the starting lineup to the bench on the eve of the regular-season opener, with coach Chris Finch wanting to put the ball in Anthony Edwards’ hands and give the younger Donte DiVincenzo an opportunity to start.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
On the Right, Israel is being squeezed by a smaller faction of the Make America Great Again movement that wants to pare back all American foreign aid.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
16 May 2026
-
Gas prices are continuing to squeeze drivers at the pump.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Inés, the nine-year-old Chilean protagonist of The Meltdown (El Deshielo), the sophomore feature of actress-turned-writer/director Manuela Martelli (God Will Not Help, The Future), is about to find out the hard way how that concept applies to hidden truths and family trauma.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
12 May 2026
-
This feature can recommend actions and surface information based on context like messages and emails.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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