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short adjective [ ʃɔːt ]

• measuring a small distance from end to end.
• "short dark hair"
Similar: small, little, tiny, minuscule, teeny, teeny-weeny, low, squat, stubby, miniature, dwarf, wee, direct, straight,
Opposite: long, tall, roundabout,
• lasting or taking a small amount of time.
• "visiting London for a short break"
Similar: brief, momentary, temporary, short-lived, impermanent, short-term, cursory, fleeting, passing, fugitive, flying, lightning, transitory, transient, ephemeral, evanescent, fading, quick, meteoric, fugacious,
• relatively small in extent.
• "a short speech"
Similar: concise, brief, succinct, to the point, compact, terse, curt, summary, economical, crisp, short and sweet, pithy, epigrammatic, laconic, pointed, thumbnail, abridged, abbreviated, condensed, synoptic, compendious, summarized, contracted, curtailed, truncated,
Opposite: long, overlong, verbose,
• (of a vowel) categorized as short with regard to quality and length (e.g. in standard British English the vowel /ʊ/ in good is short as distinct from the long vowel /uː/ in food ).
• (of a person) terse; uncivil.
• "he was often sharp and rather short with her"
Similar: curt, sharp, abrupt, blunt, brusque, terse, offhand, gruff, ungracious, graceless, surly, snappy, testy, tart, rude, discourteous, uncivil, impolite, ill-mannered, bad-mannered,
Opposite: patient, courteous,
• (of odds or a chance) reflecting or representing a high level of probability.
• "they have been backed at short odds to win thousands of pounds"
• (of pastry) containing a high proportion of fat to flour and therefore crumbly.
Similar: crumbly, crispy, crisp, brittle, friable, fatty, shortcrust,

short adverb

• (chiefly in sport) at, to, or over a relatively small distance.
• "you go deep and you go short"

short noun

• a drink of spirits served in a small measure.
• a short film as opposed to a feature film.
• a short sound such as a short signal in Morse code or a short vowel or syllable.
• "her call was two longs and a short"
• a short circuit.
• a person who sells short.
• a mixture of bran and coarse flour.

short verb

• short-circuit or cause to short-circuit.
• "the electrical circuit had shorted out"
• sell (stocks or other securities or commodities) in advance of acquiring them, with the aim of making a profit when the price falls.
• "the rule prevents sellers from shorting a stock unless the last trade resulted in a price increase"
Origin: Old English sceort, of Germanic origin; related to shirt and skirt.

shorts noun

• short trousers that reach only to the knees or thighs.
• "cycling shorts"

be caught short

• be put at a disadvantage.
"he encouraged young people to build up a range of skills so they are not caught short when employment ends suddenly"

a brick short of a load

• (of a person) stupid or mad.
"he seems to be a few bricks short of a load"

a sandwich short of a picnic

• (of a person) stupid or mad.

bring someone up short

• make someone stop or pause abruptly.
"he was entering the office when he was brought up short by the sight of John"

come short

• fail to reach a goal or standard.
"we're so close to getting the job done, but we keep coming up short"

for short

• as an abbreviation or nickname.
"the File Transfer Protocol, or FTP for short"

have someone by the short and curlies

• have complete control of someone.
"they had you by your short and curlies the minute they got you into that uniform"

have someone by the short hairs

• have complete control of someone.
"the prosecutor has him by the short hairs"

go short

• not have enough of something, especially food.
"you won't go short when I die"

in short

• to sum up; briefly.
"we hope, in short, to bring theory and practice together in each session"

in short order

• immediately; rapidly.
"after the killing the camp had been shut down in short order"

in the short term

• in the near future.
"in the short term some sacrifices may be made"

little short of

• almost; little less than.
"he regarded the cost of living as little short of scandalous"

nothing short of

• the equivalent of; equal to (used for emphasis).
"what they have achieved is nothing short of a miracle"

make short work of

• accomplish, consume, or destroy quickly.
"we made short work of our huge portions"

sell short

• sell stock or other securities or commodities which one does not own at the time, in the hope of buying at a lower price before the delivery time.

sell someone/something short

• fail to recognize or state the true value of.
"don't sell yourself short—you've got what it takes"

short and sweet

• brief but pleasant or relevant.
"his comments were short and sweet"

the short end of the stick

• an outcome in which one has less advantage than others.

short for

• an abbreviation or nickname for.
"I'm Robbie—short for Roberta"

short of

• less than.
"he died at sixty-one, four years short of his pensionable age"

short of breath

• panting; short-winded.
"they become short of breath on very slight exertion"

stop short

• stop (or cause to stop) suddenly or abruptly.
"she began to speak, but stopped short at the look on the other woman's face"

stop short of

• not go as far as (some extreme action).
"the measures stopped short of establishing direct trade links"

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