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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of short
Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2025
And even though this item is created in collaboration with New York stylist and clean-girl aesthetic lover Coco Schiffer, this campy V-neck blouse really adds some personality, cheer, and silhouette to either its matching co-ord shorts or a pair of jeans.
—Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
These versatile bottoms are the perfect length for our short stature, and the wide-leg silhouette looks a tad more like trousers when compared to other yoga pants.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
Ben Church, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
The squawking birds from the Oscar-winning short For the Birds (2000) have shown up in two Pixar features, in very similar, blink-and-you'll-miss-it contexts.
—Kelly Connolly, EW.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Those deals never came through and the stock started falling, and eventually firms were shorting the stock.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Running gear essentially remained the same until the post-WWII boom in synthetics, which saw the development of fabrics with specific moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating qualities that proved far preferable than a pair of old gym shorts and a cotton tank top.
—Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2025
And even though this item is created in collaboration with New York stylist and clean-girl aesthetic lover Coco Schiffer, this campy V-neck blouse really adds some personality, cheer, and silhouette to either its matching co-ord shorts or a pair of jeans.
—Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
Adverb
When in a forest, stay in proximity to shorter tree groupings.
—Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
These versatile bottoms are the perfect length for our short stature, and the wide-leg silhouette looks a tad more like trousers when compared to other yoga pants.
—Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Despite coming up short in both finals, the teenager’s disappointment was later eased after being told about her new ranking.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025
The squawking birds from the Oscar-winning short For the Birds (2000) have shown up in two Pixar features, in very similar, blink-and-you'll-miss-it contexts.
—Kelly Connolly, EW.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
Often, those companies have a large amount of shares being shorted, which can lead to price increases and force hedge funds and other firms betting against these companies to take a sizable financial loss.
—Sara Chernikoff, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Those deals never came through and the stock started falling, and eventually firms were shorting the stock.
—Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Seattle did very little to silence those critics in Week 1.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
He was joined by little bro Jason, who's younger than him by 13 months.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Young looked sharp throughout the summer, but his brief preseason misgivings carried over to the regular-season opener.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The brief and unremarkable tenure of France’s prime minister has come crashing to an end.—
Cole Stangler,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
That is not to say that his coverage abilities are in any way lacking, but the Jaguars might see more value in Hunter catching passes to start.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
-
It can be used to crudely express boredom, annoyance or to signal that something is self-indulgent or lacking purpose.—
Sofi Zeman
August 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Like the blind father, the country is desperately trying to overcome its past and disadvantages, in pursuit of a more beautiful future — but that pursuit almost necessarily entails a brittle form of pride, which leads to various injustices along the way.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The risk is that the model overreaches, stripping out human oversight in ways that leave the system brittle.—
Christer Holloman,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Leslie had been discovered deceased in her upstairs bathroom, with the autopsy listing her official cause of death as blunt force trauma.—
Claire Lempert,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
By reintroducing the War title, the Administration is sending a blunt message and in cyberspace, America is not only defending but also going on the offensive.—
Emil Sayegh,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
However, in 2000, Burns abruptly left the show when his character went to college, passing the role down to his younger brother, Joe, played by Donovan Patton.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The footage then cut abruptly to a new clip that featured Barrymore and Colbert holding their respective mugs and talking about her recent 50th birthday.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The shakeups are the latest at a time when restaurants are squeezed between a labor shortage, rising food prices and a loss of customers as diners cut back on spending.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
-
For now, the three youngest each sleep in their own pack-and-plays squeezed into their parents’ bedroom.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The 2025 Ford Explorer’s welcome new features add function to an already good midsize SUV.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
-
His killing could become not just a tragedy but a catalyst—an event that radicalizes ever more Americans, less an aberration than a feature of our increasingly perilous national politics.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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