short

1. 1

   Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.

2. 2

   Of a person, living being, or object, having a comparatively small height.

   • Nhung Ngo had the shortest legs at Site-43. She was the shortest member of staff, two inches beneath the positively elfin Delfina Ibanez, and yet Lillian found her inexplicably difficult to shake. Power-walking down the halls didn't do the
3. 3

   Having little duration.

   • Our meeting was a short six minutes today. Every day for the past month it’s been at least twenty minutes long.
4. 4

   Of a word or phrase, constituting an abbreviation (for another) or shortened form (of another).

   • "Phone" is short for "telephone" and "asap" short for "as soon as possible".
5. 5

   Of a fielder or fielding position, that is relatively close to the batsman.

6. 6

   Of a ball, bowled so that it bounces relatively far from the batsman.

7. 7

   Of an approach shot or putt, that falls short of the green or the hole.

8. 8

   Of betting odds, offering a small return for the money wagered.

9. 9

   Of pastries or (metallurgy) of materials, brittle, crumbly.

   • shortbread
   • hot short
10. 10

    Abrupt, brief, pointed, curt.

    • He gave a short answer to the question.

syn. low · scrimp · short · shortsome · stubbed · stubby · stumpy · vertically challenged

ant. long · tall

1. 1

   Abruptly, curtly, briefly.not-comparable

   • They had to stop short to avoid hitting the dog in the street.
   • He cut me short repeatedly in the meeting.
2. 2

   Unawares.not-comparable

   • The recent developments at work caught them short.
   • We were caught short by the sudden hailstorm.
3. 3

   Without achieving a goal or requirement.not-comparable

   • His speech fell short of what was expected.
4. 4

   Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.not-comparable

5. 5

   With a negative ownership position.not-comparable

   • We went short most finance companies in July.

1. 1

   A short circuit.

   • The circuit breaker keeps tripping because there's a short in the wiring.
2. 2

   A short film.

   • Preceded by a Simpsons short shot in 3-D—perhaps the only thing more superfluous than a fourth Ice Age movie—Ice Age: Continental Drift finds a retinue of vaguely contemporaneous animals coping with life in the post-Pangaea age.
3. 3

   A short film.; A short-form vertical video.Internet

4. 4

   A short film.; A vertical video of any length.Internetbroadly

   • long short
5. 5

   A short version of a garment in a particular size.

   • 38 short suits fit me right off the rack.
   • Do you have that size in a short?
6. 6

   A shortstop.

   • Jones smashes a grounder between third and short.
7. 7

   A short seller.

   • The market decline was terrible, but the shorts were buying champagne.
8. 8

   A short sale or short position.

   • He closed out his short at a modest loss after three months.
9. 9

   A summary account.

   • For the short and the long is, our play is preferred.
10. 10

    A short phone (such as a vowel) or syllable.

    • If we compare the nearest conventional shorts and longs in English, as in ‘bit’ and ‘beat’, ‘not’ and ‘naught’, we find that the short vowels are generally wide (i, ɔ), the long narrow (i, ɔ), besides being generally diphthongic as well.

1. 1

   To cause a short circuit in (something).transitive

   • You should short the poles of the capacitor to discharge it before you work on it.
2. 2

   To short circuit.intransitive

3. 3

   To provide with an amount smaller than that agreed or labeled; to shortchange.informaltransitive

   • This is the third time I've caught them shorting us.
4. 4

   To sell something, especially securities, that one does not own at the moment for delivery at a later date in hopes of profiting from a decline in the price; to sell short.transitive

5. 5

   To shorten.obsolete

1. 1

   Deficient in.

   • We are short a few men on the second shift.
   • He's short common sense.
2. 2

   Having a negative position in.

   • I don’t want to be short the market going into the weekend.