SHORT

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does short mean? 

• SHORT (noun)
  The noun SHORT has 3 senses:

1. the location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
2. accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
3. the fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between second and third base

  Familiarity information: SHORT used as a noun is uncommon.

• SHORT (adjective)
  The adjective SHORT has 11 senses:

1. primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
2. (primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length
3. low in stature; not tall
4. not sufficient to meet a need
5. (of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
6. not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices
7. of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration
8. less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
9. lacking foresight or scope
10. tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening
11. marked by rude or peremptory shortness

  Familiarity information: SHORT used as an adjective is familiar.

• SHORT (verb)
  The verb SHORT has 2 senses:

1. cheat someone by not returning him enough money
2. create a short circuit in

  Familiarity information: SHORT used as a verb is rare.

• SHORT (adverb)
  The adverb SHORT has 7 senses:

1. quickly and without warning
2. without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold
3. clean across
4. at some point or distance before a goal is reached
5. so as to interrupt
6. at a disadvantage
7. in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner

  Familiarity information: SHORT used as an adverb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHORT (noun)

Meaning:

The location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("short" is a kind of...):

parcel; parcel of land; piece of ground; piece of land; tract (an extended area of land)

Holonyms ("short" is a part of...):

baseball diamond; diamond; infield (the area of a baseball field that is enclosed by 3 bases and home plate)

Meaning:

Accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

short circuit; short

Hypernyms ("short" is a kind of...):

contact; tangency ((electronics) a junction where things (as two electrical conductors) touch or are in physical contact)

Holonyms ("short" is a part of...):

circuit; electric circuit; electrical circuit (an electrical device that provides a path for electrical current to flow)

Meaning:

The fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between second and third base

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

shortstop; short

Hypernyms ("short" is a kind of...):

position ((in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player)

Holonyms ("short" is a member of...):

baseball team (a team that plays baseball)

• SHORT (adjective)

Meaning:

Primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

Context examples:

a short life / a short flight / a short holiday / a short story / only a few short months

Similar:

short-run; short-term (relating to or extending over a limited period)

short-range (relating to the near future)

short-dated (of a gilt-edged security; having less than 5 years to run before redemption)

short and sweet (dealt with very quickly; to the point)

fleeting; fugitive; momentaneous; momentary (lasting for a markedly brief time)

clipped ((of speech) having quick short sounds)

brief; little (of short duration or distance)

abbreviated; shortened; truncated (cut short in duration)

shortened; telescoped (shortened by or as if by means of parts that slide one within another or are crushed one into another)

Attribute:

duration; length (continuance in time)

Antonym:

long (primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified)

Meaning:

(primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length

Context examples:

short skirts / short hair / the board was a foot short / a short toss

Similar:

truncate; truncated (terminating abruptly by having or as if having an end or point cut off)

shortened; telescoped (shortened by or as if by means of parts that slide one within another or are crushed one into another)

stubby (short and blunt)

snub (unusually short)

short-snouted (having a snout that is shorter than average)

short-range (limited to short distances)

shortish (somewhat short)

sawed-off; sawn-off; shortened (cut short)

curtal ((obsolete) cut short)

close (used of hair or haircuts)

abbreviated; brief ((of clothing) very short)

Attribute:

length (the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest horizontal dimension of something that is fixed in place)

Antonym:

long (primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified)

Meaning:

Low in stature; not tall

Context examples:

he was short and stocky / short in stature / a short smokestack

Similar:

chunky; dumpy; low-set; squat; squatty; stumpy (short and thick; as e.g. having short legs and heavy musculature)

half-length (representing only the upper half of the body)

pint-size; pint-sized; runty; sawed-off; sawn-off (well below average height)

short-stalked (of plants having relatively short stalks)

squab; squabby (short and fat)

Also:

low (literal meanings; being at or having a relatively small elevation or upward extension)

little; small (limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent)

Attribute:

height; stature ((of a standing person) the distance from head to foot)

Antonym:

tall (great in vertical dimension; high in stature)

Meaning:

Not sufficient to meet a need

Synonyms:

inadequate; short; poor

Context examples:

an inadequate income / a poor salary / money is short / on short rations / food is in short supply / short on experience

Similar:

deficient; insufficient (of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement)

Meaning:

(of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range

Synonyms:

unretentive; forgetful; short

Context example:

a short memory

Also:

forgetful; mindless; unmindful (not mindful or attentive)

Meaning:

Not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices

Context examples:

a short sale / short in cotton

Domain category:

finance (the branch of economics that studies the management of money and other assets)

Antonym:

long (holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices)

Meaning:

Of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration

Context example:

the English vowel sounds in 'pat', 'pet', 'pit', 'pot', putt' are short

Domain category:

phonetics (the branch of acoustics concerned with speech processes including its production and perception and acoustic analysis)

Antonym:

long ((of speech sounds or syllables) of relatively long duration)

Meaning:

Less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so

Synonyms:

scant; short; light

Context examples:

a light pound / a scant cup of sugar / regularly gives short weight

Similar:

deficient; insufficient (of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement)

Meaning:

Lacking foresight or scope

Synonyms:

shortsighted; unforesightful; myopic; short

Context examples:

a short view of the problem / shortsighted policies / shortsighted critics derided the plan / myopic thinking

Similar:

improvident (not provident; not providing for the future)

Meaning:

Tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening

Context examples:

shortbread is a short crumbly cookie / a short flaky pie crust

Similar:

breakable (capable of being broken or damaged)

Meaning:

Marked by rude or peremptory shortness

Synonyms:

curt; brusque; brusk; short

Context examples:

try to cultivate a less brusque manner / a curt reply / the salesgirl was very short with him

Similar:

discourteous (showing no courtesy; rude)

• SHORT (verb)

Meaning:

Cheat someone by not returning him enough money

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

short; short-change

Hypernyms (to "short" is one way to...):

bunco; con; defraud; diddle; gip; goldbrick; gyp; hornswoggle; mulct; nobble; rook; scam; short-change; swindle; victimize (deprive of by deceit)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Meaning:

Create a short circuit in

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

short-circuit; short

Hypernyms (to "short" is one way to...):

create; make (make or cause to be or to become)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

• SHORT (adverb)

Meaning:

Quickly and without warning

Synonyms:

short; dead; abruptly; suddenly

Context example:

he stopped suddenly

Meaning:

Without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold

Context example:

he made his fortune by selling short just before the crash

Domain category:

finance (the branch of economics that studies the management of money and other assets)

Meaning:

Clean across

Context example:

the car's axle snapped short

Meaning:

At some point or distance before a goal is reached

Context example:

he fell short of our expectations

Meaning:

So as to interrupt

Context example:

She took him up short before he could continue

Meaning:

At a disadvantage

Synonyms:

unawares; short

Context example:

I was caught short

Meaning:

In a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner

Synonyms:

curtly; shortly; short

Context examples:

he told me curtly to get on with it / he talked short with everyone / he said shortly that he didn't like it