as in lacks
a falling short of an essential or desirable amount or number
there was a troubling shortage of supplies for the troops overseas this year
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Recent Examples of shortages
Staffing shortages have plagued the grocery industry since the COVID-19 pandemic.
—
Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Joining Air New Zealand just as the COVID-19 pandemic loomed, Foran tackled a series of crises, from persistent shortages of engine components to the grounding of up to 11 aircraft.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Feb. 2026
Its consequences, however, will be delayed, with the potential for drought, water shortages and a higher risk of wildfires in the coming months.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Some medical facilities have also been severely impacted by the fuel shortages.
—Philip Wang, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Food shortages, internal migrations, and overcrowding had already signaled a slippage in imperial power, and created a fertile environment for disease.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
The patches deliver a steady dose of estrogen and are increasingly popular for women going through menopause and perimenopause—so much so that there are now shortages of 11 patch products.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Several others were wounded and taken for treatment in Rahad, which faces severe medical supplies shortages like many areas in the Kordofan region, the statement said.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
And our former motorcoach business struggled through COVID, inflation, supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages.
—Paul S. Mears Iii, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Joining Air New Zealand just as the COVID-19 pandemic loomed, Foran tackled a series of crises, from persistent shortages of engine components to the grounding of up to 11 aircraft.
—Alexander Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Feb. 2026
Its consequences, however, will be delayed, with the potential for drought, water shortages and a higher risk of wildfires in the coming months.
—Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
Advertisement Some medical facilities have also been severely impacted by the fuel shortages.
—Philip Wang, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Food shortages, internal migrations, and overcrowding had already signaled a slippage in imperial power, and created a fertile environment for disease.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
The patches deliver a steady dose of estrogen and are increasingly popular for women going through menopause and perimenopause—so much so that there are now shortages of 11 patch products.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
Several others were wounded and taken for treatment in Rahad, which faces severe medical supplies shortages like many areas in the Kordofan region, the statement said.
—Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
And our former motorcoach business struggled through COVID, inflation, supply-chain disruptions and labor shortages.
—Paul S. Mears Iii, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortages
Noun
-
Each provides amino acids that the other lacks, so eating them together gives you all the essential amino acids.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Economic theory would suggest that the best place to make a major investment such as a STAR bond would be in a place that has low, or lacks, economic activity.—
Sofi Zeman
January 21,
Kansas City Star,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Common causes for both include stress, hormonal changes, and nutritional deficiencies.—
Rebecca Strong,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Those facilities could be ordered to close, too, if the deficiencies identified aren’t addressed within the next few months.—
Jason Henry,
Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Several members of the Education Committee and the Connecticut Education Association are in favor of the ban, saying that a phone-free environment is needed as unlimited access to cellphones has created academic deficits.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Californians know a single strong storm can improve the state’s snowpack and back-to-back systems could wipe out deficits.—
Monica Garske,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This is because climate change and ecological collapse are very likely to cause political fragmentation that nullifies legal and cultural precedents like abolition, and bring about agrarian and manufacturing crises and scarcities in which people are forced into labor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Dec. 2025
-
In addition to political persecution, returning Venezuelans would reenter a country teetering on collapse—maligned by hyperinflation, soaring unemployment, rampant crime, frequent power outages, water shortages and chronic scarcities of food and medicine.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortages. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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