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
EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
So TikTok may be — at least in the short-to-medium term — somewhat stuck.
—Emily Baker-White, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2025
Over those years, radio became less important as digital platforms gained influence and short-form video apps such as TikTok turned into hitmakers.
—Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Redford received his first Oscar nomination for the film, but came up short in his bid to win the Best Actor statuette.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
When the price of a shorted stock rises instead of falling, those investors who shorted the stock will also buy back their shares to minimize further losses.
—Ryan Baker, CNBC, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Adjective
The couple's other projects in development at Netflix include a feature adaptation of Carley Fortune's novel Meet Me at the Lake and a documentary short called Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
So TikTok may be — at least in the short-to-medium term — somewhat stuck.
—Emily Baker-White, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
What is something from decades of writing short form that really helped you out here?
—Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 18 Sep. 2025
Over those years, radio became less important as digital platforms gained influence and short-form video apps such as TikTok turned into hitmakers.
—Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
More Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images The Diamondbacks fell short to the Texas Rangers in five games in the 2023 World Series before taking a step back last season and missing the playoffs entirely.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Redford received his first Oscar nomination for the film, but came up short in his bid to win the Best Actor statuette.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Noun
Castro started at second and Hoerner moved to short to give regular shortstop Dansby Swanson a breather.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
When the price of a shorted stock rises instead of falling, those investors who shorted the stock will also buy back their shares to minimize further losses.
—Ryan Baker, CNBC, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for short
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short
Adjective
-
Trump described how Kirk would ask him to fly across the country to appear at his events with little notice.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Data journalist Owen Winter of The Economist recently featured research from Michael Loadenthal, founder of the Prosecution Project, in two articles concluding that there is little left-wing violence relative to violent crime on the Right.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
In a brief video snippet accompanying the post, Cyrus is seen in close-up staring directly into the camera while wearing what looks like surgical gauze around her chin and head as more white material is blown by a breeze around her face.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Broader market reactions have been muted, barring brief spikes in oil prices when Israel entered direct confrontations with Hamas’ crude-rich patron Iran and with other of Tehran’s proxies, such as Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis.—
Ruxandra Iordache,Emma Graham,
CNBC,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Bringing out the playmaker While Horn got paid a record-setting contract in March, the national buzz about his talent has been somewhat lacking.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The greatest challenge for Stone, then, was injecting personality into an 11,000-square-foot house that was initially quite lacking in it.—
Juliet Izon,
Architectural Digest,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
For city-dwellers that battle hard water, dry, cold air, and random bouts of sidewalk grate humidity — this is the duo your brittle strands need.—
Tanya Akim,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The verification process required meticulous preparation, including heat-treating the brittle Nb3Sn materials in furnaces at temperatures over 650°C (1202°F) to impart their superconducting properties.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Maron, who’s become an increasingly vocal critic of comedians who inadvertently, or outwardly, cater to the right, shared a particularly blunt video on TikTok that was at once a dire warning and a call to action.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Manchin’s media appearances to promote his book have already made headlines with quintessential blunt talk about his snub of former Vice President Kamala Harris and willingness to torch his old party.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Your transition came with a lot of attention, partly because of how abruptly Wendy’s show got canceled.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Kimmel’s future at ABC was thrown into doubt on Wednesday, when the network abruptly pulled the show following conservative outcry over a joke the host made during a recent monologue about the suspect accused of killing Charlie Kirk.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
My sister looked up at me and ever so gently, with barely perceptible pressure, squeezed my hand.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
If real estate values turn soft in a region, the decline could squeeze a crucial revenue stream for cities, counties, regional agencies and school districts.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These entries, laying out a monthslong plot in excruciating detail, revealed multiple visits to Tops Friendly Markets to survey the store’s layout and analyze a Google graph feature for the location’s busiest times.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Our favorite feature is the lace trim below the knee on the skirt that makes this dress stand out among similar styles.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Short.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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