as in stings
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
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Recent Examples of shorts
Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
Kyle Hency started Chubbies in 2011 with three Stanford friends as a fun, weekend‑and‑beer‑vibe shorts brand.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026
Of course the star who made red carpet shorts a thing (twice) will wear a tank any time.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Jan. 2026
Competitive sections for features, documentaries, and shorts each comprise 16 titles, while retrospectives, restorations, and regional premieres are grouped into three out-of-competition strands of 24 films.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
San Martín’s debut feature To Kill The Beast premiered in the Discovery section at TIFF in 2021, while her shorts The Swedish Cousin and Monster God premiered at Berlin and Cannes respectively.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
But not just any shorts — rather, suit shorts!
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Using say, Pixar shorts as a reference, most are between 4 and 8 minutes.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
All features and series screened to UK audiences for the first time, including 28 world premieres (7 features, 1 series, 19 shorts, 1 immersive), 11 International Premieres (11 features, 1 short), and 20 European Premieres (12 features, 7 shorts, 1 immersive).
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Accompanied by a bevy of dancers dressed in camo shorts and white T-shirts and her DJ, their commander of the night turned up the heat with her performance, and while initially wearing a short camo jacket.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
Princess Diana made a sweater and bike shorts the ‘90s cool-girl uniform.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Apr. 2026
Kyle Hency started Chubbies in 2011 with three Stanford friends as a fun, weekend‑and‑beer‑vibe shorts brand.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026
Of course the star who made red carpet shorts a thing (twice) will wear a tank any time.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Jan. 2026
Competitive sections for features, documentaries, and shorts each comprise 16 titles, while retrospectives, restorations, and regional premieres are grouped into three out-of-competition strands of 24 films.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
San Martín’s debut feature To Kill The Beast premiered in the Discovery section at TIFF in 2021, while her shorts The Swedish Cousin and Monster God premiered at Berlin and Cannes respectively.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
But not just any shorts — rather, suit shorts!
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Using say, Pixar shorts as a reference, most are between 4 and 8 minutes.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Noun
Sundresses, shorts, and short sleeves are ideal for scorching days, but might make a low temperature indoors a bit more uncomfortable.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Jan. 2026
All features and series screened to UK audiences for the first time, including 28 world premieres (7 features, 1 series, 19 shorts, 1 immersive), 11 International Premieres (11 features, 1 short), and 20 European Premieres (12 features, 7 shorts, 1 immersive).
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 7 Nov. 2025
Accompanied by a bevy of dancers dressed in camo shorts and white T-shirts and her DJ, their commander of the night turned up the heat with her performance, and while initially wearing a short camo jacket.
—Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shorts
Verb
-
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
-
And that’s the part that stings.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Carpenter wears a men’s suit jacket and squeezes Cline’s butt, and the girls kiss their own reflections.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The pencil-thin DQ Tower squeezes a full home into a very slender footprint, while the EONE XL takes a wider prefab approach to the same basic challenge.—
Stefan Ionescu
March 30,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Pierce Brosnan — who played the fictional agent with a license to kill in four films in the '90s — is open-minded about reprising his role.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
-
These films are usually a blend of real and faked footage, with Faces of Death leaning much more toward the latter.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Inspired by real stories, Eva Marcille portrays a wife who miraculously cheats death after her husband’s (Tyler Lepley) betrayal in Pushed Off a Plane and Survived airing on February 28.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Anything stand out about other services and features?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
All four astronauts have been studying the moon extensively in their mission preparation, of course, but the precise launch date and time determined the specific features each would target during their all-too-fleeting close encounter, making this review time a necessity.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Carrera now plucks the melody in single notes.—
Peter Wayne Moe,
Longreads,
26 Mar. 2026
-
But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Now, dogs are on line at the city’s coffee shops, in carts at Trader Joe’s, seated at the movies.—
Rachel Sugar,
Curbed,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Vicary’s leadership team also includes Randy Pope, senior vice president, original movies and physical production and physical production teams, and Samantha DiPippo, senior vice president, programming and content innovation.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The boxers, aged 40 and 42 respectively, threw hopeful knockout punches and barely jabbed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Benvolio pulls up the covers on the other side, revealing Jupe in nothing but his boxers.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shorts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shorts. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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