short
gb/ʃˈɔɹt/ us/ʃˈɔɹt/
A1
English
~ 2400
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A1
property
1
Not long in length or time
Not long in size or time.
Usage pattern:
[something] is short
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'short' with 'small' when talking about height of people; 'short' is correct for height, not 'small'.
Synonyms
brief (Often used for time, slightly more formal and focused on duration.)
|
small (Can refer to size but less precise for length or duration.)
Antonyms
long (Refers to greater length or duration, opposite of 'short' in size or time.)
Collocations
short time
|short distance
|short hair
|short break
|short meeting
Themes
daily life
|time
|measurement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The movie was surprisingly short, only 80 minutes long.
- She wore a short skirt to the party.
- We took a short walk before dinner.
- His speech was short and to the point.
Learner examples
- The meeting was short.
- I have short hair.
- It is a short road to my house.
- We talked for a short time.
adjective
A1
property
2
Not tall in height
Not tall.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is short
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'low' instead of 'short' for people; 'low' is incorrect for describing human height.
Synonyms
low (Refers to position or level rather than stature.)
Antonyms
tall (Refers to greater height, opposite of 'short' for stature.)
Collocations
short man
|short woman
|short building
Themes
daily life
|physical description
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He is too short to reach the top shelf.
- The fence is quite short, so you can see over it.
- She felt self-conscious about being short.
Learner examples
- I am short.
- The wall is short.
- My brother is short.
adjective
B1
property
3
Not having enough of something
Not having enough of something.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is short of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners may omit 'of' in 'short of [something]', which makes the phrase incorrect.
Synonyms
insufficient (More formal term for not enough.)
Antonyms
plentiful (Having more than enough of something.)
Collocations
short of money
|short on time
|short of breath
Themes
daily life
|needs
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- We're short on time, so let's hurry.
- The recipe failed because I was short of sugar.
- He was too short of breath to continue running.
Learner examples
- I am short of money.
- We are short on time.
- She is short of food.
adverb
B2
property
4
By less than the needed distance/amount
By not enough distance or amount.
Synonyms
slightly (Indicates a small degree but not necessarily about failing to reach something.)
Antonyms
beyond (Indicates going past the required point or amount.)
Collocations
fall short
|cut short
Themes
measurement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The arrow fell short of the target.
- We stopped short when we saw the snake.
- His performance fell short of expectations.
Learner examples
- The ball went short of the goal.
- He stopped short at the door.
- Her score was short of the pass mark.
Noun
B2
entity
5
A brief piece of writing or film
A small piece of writing or film.
Synonyms
short story (Specifically a brief work of fiction.)
Collocations
literary short
|animated short
Themes
arts
|literature
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Examples
- Pixar released a new animated short before the movie.
- He published several shorts in literary magazines.
- The festival featured ten shorts from around the world.
Learner examples
- I read a short yesterday.
- She made an animated short.
- The shorts were very funny.
Grammar
Dictionary form
short
IPA
GB/ʃˈɔɹt/
US/ʃˈɔɹt/
Syllables & stress
short (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (short)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: short
- Comparative: shorter
- Superlative: shortest
Noun
- Base: short
- Plural: shorts
Word family
Expressions
cut short
1/kˈʌt ʃˈɔɹt/
phrasal verb
Stop earlier than planned
To make something end before it was supposed to end.
Examples
- The meeting was cut short due to an emergency.
- His vacation was cut short when he got sick.
fall short (of)
1/fˈɔl ʃˈɔɹt əv/
phrasal verb
Fail to reach standard/amount expected
To not reach what is wanted or expected.
Examples
- Her performance fell short of our expectations.
- The team fell short by just two points.
in short
1/ˈɪn ʃˈɔɹt/
fixed phrase
To summarize briefly
Used before giving the main point in a few words.
Examples
- In short, we need more time to finish the project.
- He was, in short, not ready for the challenge.
nothing short of
1/nˈʌθɪŋ ʃˈɔɹt əv/
fixed phrase
Exactly equal to something extreme/impressive
Used to say something is exactly like something else, often surprising or extreme.
Examples
- His recovery was nothing short of miraculous.
- The view from the top was nothing short of breathtaking.
run short (of)
1/ɹˈʌn ʃˈɔɹt əv/
phrasal verb
Have less than needed supply remaining
To not have enough of something left.
Examples
- We’re running short of paper for the printer.
- They ran short on food during the trip.