Short Definition
shôrt
shorted, shorter, shortest, shorting, shorts
adjective
shorter, shortest
Not extending far from end to end; not long or not long enough.
Webster's New World
Low or relatively low in height; not tall.
Webster's New World
Not retentive for long.
A short memory.
Webster's New World
Not lengthy; succinct.
Short and to the point.
American Heritage
Not great in span, range, or scope.
A short distance, journey, throw, view, etc.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
adverb
Abruptly; suddenly.
Webster's New World
In a rude or curt manner.
American Heritage
Rudely; curtly.
Webster's New World
Briefly; concisely.
Webster's New World
At a point before a given boundary, limit, or goal.
A missile that landed short of the target.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
noun
shorts
Something that is short.
Webster's New World
A variation of clothing size shorter than the average for that size.
Webster's New World
A byproduct of wheat milling that consists of bran, germ, and coarse meal.
Webster's New World
Items needed to make up a shortage or deficiency.
Webster's New World
Trimmings, clippings, etc. left over in the manufacture of various products.
Webster's New World
verb
shorted, shorting, shorts
To cause a short circuit in.
American Heritage
Webster's New World
To give less than what is needed, wanted, or usual.
Webster's New World
To take a short position in (a stock, commodity, etc.)
Webster's New World
To short-sell (a security or index).
American Heritage
pronoun
A surname.
Wiktionary
idiom
for short
- As an abbreviation:
He's called Ed for short.
American Heritage
in short
- In summary; briefly.
American Heritage
short for
- An abbreviation of:
Ed is short for Edward.
American Heritage
short of
- Having an inadequate supply of:
We're short of cash.
- Less than:
Nothing short of her best effort was required to make the team.
American Heritage
the short end of the stick
- The worst side of an unequal deal.
American Heritage
Origin of Short
-
Middle English from Old English sceort, scort sker-1 in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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