Meaning & use
short
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Measuring little from end to end or from bottom to top, compared with what is normal.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a short rope; the rope is short.
Patterns
- short for your age
He is short, but he plays basketball well.
Cut the string short so it fits the jar.
She has short brown hair.
adjectivecomparable
Lasting only a small amount of time.
Grammar: Describes duration: a short meeting.
Patterns
- a short time
We took a short break at noon.
The film is surprisingly short.
The winter days are very short here.
adjectiveafter a verb
Not having enough of something; lacking.
Grammar: Often followed by of or on: short of money.
Patterns
- be short of something
- be short on something
We are short of staff this week.
I'm a little short on cash right now.
adjectivecomparableinformal
Rude and impatient in the way one speaks to someone.
Grammar: Often used with with: short with the clerk.
Patterns
- be short with someone
Sorry I was short with you earlier.
He gave a short reply and walked away.
Word forms
| comparative | shorter |
|---|---|
| superlative | shortest |
Common combinations
- short hair
- She decided to wear her hair short.
- short notice
- They called the meeting at short notice.
- short story
- He wrote a short story about a lighthouse.
- in the short term
- Prices will rise in the short term.
- short of breath
- I was short of breath after the stairs.
- cut short
- The storm cut the concert short.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brief
- Brief is used for time, speech or writing, but not for height.
- concise
- Concise praises speech or writing that says much in few words, while short just describes length.
- petite
- Petite describes a small, slim woman in a flattering way and is not used for objects.
- curt
- Curt stresses an abrupt, almost rude manner of speaking.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: short or shorts?
short vs shorts
Shorts are an item of clothing and always plural; short is the adjective.
Practice
The factory is ____ of skilled workers, so it has delayed new orders.
Choose one answer.
Short of means not having enough. Lack is a verb or noun, and low and few do not take of in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “short”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.