short
shawt
Short (adjective) means not long in length, distance, or duration. Example: “It was a short walk to the station.”
adjective
1
Not long in length, distance, or duration.
"It was a short walk to the station."
"We only have a short time before the meeting."
"The film was short, so we watched two in one evening."
2
Of a person, not tall.
"He was short compared to his older brother."
"My grandfather was short, but he carried himself proudly."
"Being short, she needed a stool to reach the top shelf."
3
Curt or abrupt in manner.
"She was a bit short with me on the phone."
"He gave a short reply and walked out of the room."
"Sorry for being short with you; I'm just tired today."
4
Lacking enough of something, especially money.
"We're short on staff this week."
"I'm a bit short this month, can I pay you back later?"
"Our team is short of volunteers, so we need more people to help on Saturday."
verb
1
In finance, to bet that a stock or asset's price will fall by selling it before buying it back cheaper.
"The hedge fund shorted the airline's stock before the crash."
"Some investors short a stock when they believe the company is overvalued and heading for trouble."
"He decided to short the shares, hoping to buy them back at a lower level."
2
To cause a short circuit in an electrical device.
"Water got into the socket and shorted the whole circuit."
"A loose wire touched the metal casing and shorted the heater."
"Be careful not to short the battery by letting the two terminals touch."
How to use short
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishNot long, not tall, not enough, or (in finance/electronics) a specific technical action.
Common mistake
Don't confuse "shorts" (the garment or the finance term) with "short" the adjective — context usually makes it obvious, but "shorting a stock" is a distinct financial meaning worth knowing.
Common pairings
short on time
short circuit
short notice
short-tempered
run short
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- shorts
- Past tense
- shorted
- Comparative
- shorter
- Superlative
- shortest
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
It was a _____ walk to the station.
Etymology
From Old English sceort, sċort ("short"), from a Proto-Germanic root — a doublet of "shirt", "skirt", and "curt".
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for short
See all rhymes for short →Frequently asked questions
What does “short” mean?
The word “short” means not long in length, distance, or duration. In plain terms, not long, not tall, not enough, or (in finance/electronics) a specific technical action.
How do you pronounce “short”?
“Short” is pronounced shawt (/ʃɔɹt/ in IPA).
How do you use “short” in a sentence?
Here is “short” used in a sentence: “It was a short walk to the station.”
What is another word for “short”?
Words with a similar meaning to “short” include low, scrimp, shortsome, stubbed, stubby and stumpy.
What is the opposite of “short”?
The opposite of “short” — its antonyms — are long and tall.
What part of speech is “short”?
Depending on how it is used, “short” can be an adjective and a verb.
Where does the word “short” come from?
The word “short” comes from Old English. From Old English sceort, sċort ("short"), from a Proto-Germanic root — a doublet of "shirt", "skirt", and "curt".
Is “short” a common word?
“Short” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
What is the opposite of short?
Short has more than one opposite depending on meaning. When it describes length or distance, the opposite is long. When it describes height, the opposite is tall. And when it describes duration, the opposite is long or lengthy. The right antonym depends on whether you mean size, height or time.
What is the difference between short and brief?
Short can describe length, distance, height or time, which makes it the broader word. Brief refers almost only to time or to something written or spoken — a brief meeting, a brief note. You can call a person short but not brief, while a short talk and a brief talk mean much the same.
Can short describe time as well as length?
Yes. Short applies to duration just as it does to physical size: a short film, a short holiday or a short wait all describe something that does not last long. Used this way, short simply means brief in time rather than small in length or distance.
What is the difference between short and small?
Short refers to limited length, height or duration — a short rope, a short person, a short trip. Small refers to overall size or amount — a small box, a small crowd. Something can be short without being small, like a short but wide table, so the two are not interchangeable.
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