1measuring a small distance from end to end:short dark haira short flight of stepsthe bed was too short for him
(of a journey) covering a small distance:the hotel is a short walk from the sea
(of a garment or sleeves on a garment) only covering the top part of a person’s arms or legs:a short skirt
(of a person) small in height:he is short and tubby
(of a ball in cricket, a shot in tennis, etc.) travelling only a small distance before bouncing:he uses his opportunities to attack every short ball
Cricket denoting fielding positions relatively close to the batsman:short midwicket
2lasting or taking a small amount of time:visiting London for a short breaka short conversation
[attributive] seeming to last less time than is the case; passing quickly:in 10 short years all this changed
(of a person’s memory) retaining things for only a small amount of time:he has a short memory for past misdeeds
Stock Exchange (of stocks or other securities or commodities) sold in advance of being acquired, with reliance on the price falling so that a profit can be made.
Stock Exchange (of a broker, position in the market, etc.) buying or based on short stocks or other securities or commodities.
denoting or having a relatively early date for the maturing of a bill of exchange.
3relatively small in extent:a short speechhe wrote a short book
(short of/on) not having enough of (something); lacking or deficient in:they were very short of provisionsI know you’re short on cash
[predic.] in insufficient supply:food is short
4 Phonetics (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).
Prosody (of a vowel or syllable) having the lesser of the two recognized durations.
5 [predic.] (of a person) terse; uncivil:he was often sharp and rather short with her
6(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
7(of pastry) containing a high proportion of fat to flour and therefore crumbly.
(of clay) having poor plasticity.
adverb
(chiefly in sport) at, to, or over a relatively small distance:you go deep and you go short
not as far as the point aimed at; not far enough:all too often you pitch the ball short
noun
1British a drink of spirits served in a small measure.
2a short film as opposed to a feature film.
3a short sound such as a short signal in Morse code or a short vowel or syllable:her call was two longs and a short
4a short circuit.
5 Stock Exchange a person who sells short.
(shorts) Stock Exchange short-dated stocks.
6 (shorts) a mixture of bran and coarse flour.
verb
1short-circuit or cause to short-circuit: [no object]:the electrical circuit had shorted out [with object]:if the contact terminals are shorted, the battery quickly overheats
2 [with object] Stock Exchange 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
Phrases
be caught (or Britishtaken) 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
British informal urgently need to urinate or defecate:those caught short in the store will have to pay £1 to use the toilets
a brick short of a load (or two sandwiches short of a picnic, etc.)
informal (of a person) stupid or slightly mad:she’s two bricks short of a load
bring (or pull) someone up short
make someone check 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
South African get into trouble:if you try to trick him you’ll come short
for short
as an abbreviation or nickname:the File Transfer Protocol, or FTP for short
get (or have) someone by the short and curlies (or short hairs)
informal have complete control of a person:they had you by your short and curlies the minute they got you into that uniform
[from military slang, referring to pubic hair]
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
chiefly North American immediately; rapidly:after the killing the camp had been shut down in short order
in the short run (or term)
in the near future:they will increase output in the short runin the short term some sacrifices may be made
little (or nothing) short of
almost (or equal to); little (or nothing) less than:he regarded the cost of living as little short of scandalous
make short work of
accomplish, consume, or destroy quickly:we made short work of our huge portions
sell short
Stock Exchange 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/thing 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
North American 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
not reaching as far as:a rocket failure left a satellite tumbling in an orbit far short of its proper position
without going so far as (some extreme action):short of putting out an all-persons alert, there’s little else we can do
short of breath
panting; short-winded:they become short of breath on very slight exertion
stop (or cause to stop) suddenly or abruptly:she began to speak, but stopped short at the look on the other woman’s faceI was about to reply with a sarcastic remark when a thought stopped me short
stop short of
not go as far as (some extreme action):the measures stopped short of establishing direct trade links
Derivatives
shortish
adjective
shortness
noun
Origin:
Old Englishsceort, of Germanic origin; related to shirt and skirt
