📒 measuring or covering a small length or distance, or a smaller length or distance than usual
- He had short curly hair.
- a short walk/distance
- a short skirt
📒 small in height
- He was a short, fat little man.
- She was short and dumpy.
- What did he look like? Was he dark or fair? Tall or short?
📒 lasting or taking a small amount of time or less time than usual
- a short time/period/while
- The government is suggesting a relatively short consultation period.
- a programme of short films
📒 seeming to have passed very quickly
- Just two short years ago he was the best player in the country.
📒 not having enough of something; being without something
- I'm afraid I'm a little short (= of money) this month.
- short of something She is not short of excuses when things go wrong.
- His performance was woefully short of conviction.
📒 not having enough of a particular quality
- He was a big, strong guy but short on brains.
- If you're short on time, skip these steps and go straight to step five.
- The article is pretty short on details.
📒 not easily available; not supplying as much as you need
- Money was short at that time.
- There's still hope a buyer for the company can be found, but time is short.
- If space is really short, that door can be moved.
📒 less than the number, amount or distance mentioned or needed
- Her last throw was only three centimetres short of the world record.
- The team was five players short.
- She was just short of her 90th birthday when she died.
📒 having difficulty breathing, for example because of illness
- a fat man, always short of breath
📒 being a shorter form of a name or word
- short for something Call me Jo—it's short for Joanna.
- for short file transfer protocol or FTP for short
📒 speaking to somebody using few words in a way that seems rude
- I'm sorry I was short with you earlier—I had other things on my mind.
📒 a short vowel is pronounced for a shorter time than other vowels
- Compare the short vowel in ‘full’ and the long vowel in ‘fool’.
📒 not long in advance; without warning or time for preparation
- This was the best room we could get at such short notice.
- You must be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
- It's the best we can do at such short notice.
📒 stupid; not very intelligent
📒 the whole of something or less of something than you expect or should have
- We experienced the full measure of their hospitality.
- The concert only lasted an hour, so we felt we were getting short measure.
📒 to be the person in a group who is chosen or forced to perform an unpleasant duty or task
📒 to give somebody little attention or sympathy; to get little attention or sympathy
📒 to tend to get angry quickly and easily
📒 to become angry easily
📒 used to describe what will happen a long, short, etc. time in the future
- Such a development seems unlikely, at least in the short term (= it will not happen for quite a long time).
- In the longer term, children of depressed mothers are more likely to suffer from childhood depression.
- In the long term, our efforts will pay off.
📒 quickly and without trouble
📒 relating to the immediate future
- In the short run, unemployment may fall.
📒 not existing in large enough quantities to satisfy demand
- Basic foodstuffs were in short supply.
- Sunshine will be in short supply for the west coast.
- Safe drinking water is in desperately short supply.
📒 (still) only a boy
- I was still in short trousers at the time.
📒 used to say that it is not worth wasting time doing something that you dislike or that is not important
- Life's too short to sit around moping.
📒 used when you are saying that something is almost true, or is equal to something
- Last year's figures were little short of disastrous.
- The transformation has been nothing short of a miracle.
📒 used when you are saying that you will get to the point of what you are saying quickly, without including all the details
- To cut a long story short, we didn’t get home until 3 in the morning!
- Anyway, long story short: we had this argument and I haven't seen him since.
📒 to defeat, deal with something/somebody quickly
- Liverpool made short work of the opposition (= in a football match).
- He made short work of his lunch (= ate it quickly).
- Mike made short work of fixing the engine.
📒 not lasting a long time but pleasant while it lasts
- We haven't much time so I'll keep it short and sweet.
📒 very stupid