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
February 9, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Her short documentary Elvers premiered at the 2019 Camden International Film Festival and is featured online as part of The Atlantic Selects.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 9 Feb. 2026
In a June 2025 memo to Health Care Agency Director Veronica Kelley, Sabet noted that county staff failed to report its suspicions of abuse by 360 Clinic to the compliance office and fell short in overseeing the county’s $5 million contract with the vendor.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026
Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Jan. 2026
Tesla recalled certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles because the cars had computer circuit boards that may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image, according to documents released online by NHTSA.
—Keith Laing, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
Seattle managed a short gain on second down.
—February 9, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Her short documentary Elvers premiered at the 2019 Camden International Film Festival and is featured online as part of The Atlantic Selects.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
Two-time defending champion Anna Gasser finished eighth, falling short in her bid to become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals.
—Dallas Morning News, 9 Feb. 2026
In a June 2025 memo to Health Care Agency Director Veronica Kelley, Sabet noted that county staff failed to report its suspicions of abuse by 360 Clinic to the compliance office and fell short in overseeing the county’s $5 million contract with the vendor.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 7 Feb. 2026
Verb
Of course the star who made red carpet shorts a thing (twice) will wear a tank any time.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 6 Jan. 2026
Tesla recalled certain 2024-2025 Model 3, Model S, 2023-2025 Model X, and Model Y vehicles because the cars had computer circuit boards that may short, resulting in the loss of the rearview camera image, according to documents released online by NHTSA.
—Keith Laing, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Noun
What began as a 14-minute documentary short for The New Yorker Studios landed top honors from The New Yorker film critic Justin Chang and his two fellow jurors at this year’s indie fest.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 1 Feb. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
The importance of motive At this point, there’s little to suggest the motive is political or ideological, Leising said.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
-
The big-tech releases from last week did little to calm nerves stateside, while some of Europe's biggest names are preparing to report this week.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The crucial employment snapshot is slightly delayed because of the brief government shutdown and will show whether the trajectory improved for the US labor market, which has been stuck in a low-hire and low-fire lull.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
School officials issued a brief statement saying the VA had offered to meet with them in Washington.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Vučević is also a good defensive rebounder, an area in which the Celtics are greatly lacking.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Unfortunately, that correspondence is wholly lacking.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The V-neck, polo-style collar, crisp white buttons, and rust-orange hue give it a refined yet approachable feel.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Feb. 2026
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Women in crisp, white blouses and stylish glasses sip on their complimentary check-in margaritas while their husbands in loafers, jeans, and blue blazers wheel their bags into the library to catch a peek at the 3,700-volume collection.—
Diana Oates,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And while she’s known for experimenting with her look — from waist-length neon wigs to sleek blunt bobs — Cardi has shown that her natural hair is full and long, stretching down her back.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Its descriptively blunt autobiographical accounts of palpable angst start off reserved—but never boring—and slowly blossom into an explosive finish.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
McMullen left the company abruptly following an internal ethics investigation.—
Alexander Coolidge,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
9 Feb. 2026
-
One of the most exciting playoff games in recent memory — a quarterback duel between Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes — ended abruptly in a 42-36 Chiefs win when Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce on an eight-yard touchdown pass.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Impacciatore, squeezed into a skin-tight Power Rangers suit, performed an entire clowning routine where she’s accosted by abstract embodiments of various winter sports throughout history.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Sometimes, producers work with players to squeeze their take into the allotted time.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Google, in particular, has some unique features working in its favor, Sosnick added.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Wright, who formerly worked as a detective, said the video contains apparent facial features such as a mustache and that investigators should be able to calculate height, shoe size and brands of clothing.—
Ramon Padilla,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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