short

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈʃɔːrt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ʃɔrt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(shôrt)

Inflections of 'short' (adj):
shorter
adj comparative
shortest
adj superlative

Collocations for "short"


Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "short" in context.

WordReference English Collocations © 2025

short

ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.
adj
  1. a short [child, man, boy, woman, girl, student]
  2. the shortest [boy] in the [class, school]
  3. am too short to reach
  4. in just a short [time, period]
  5. wrote a short [story, description, article]
  6. like to take short [breaks, pauses] from
  7. take a short [break, trip, vacation]
  8. [made, directed] a short film
  9. it is a very short distance
  10. a short and [swift, rude, curt] reply
  11. a short, sharp [shock, pain]
  12. a short circuit
  13. (a) short back and sides
  14. (was) short and sweet
  15. the [pants, sleeves] are too short for me
  16. am just short of [my goals, $40, 5 feet]
  17. am just short of [becoming, finishing, having]
  18. am short of breath from the [run, workout]
  19. am (a little) short on [time, money]
  20. drew the short straw
  21. [hit, play, bowl] a short ball
  22. UK: gave him short shrift
  23. UK: got short shrift (from)
n
  1. [Bermuda, long, beach, swim] shorts
  2. [cotton, denim, check, patterned] shorts
  3. cinema: an [animated, independent, acclaimed] short
  4. shorts and [movies, feature films, documentaries]
  5. shorts on the [markets, stock exchange]
  6. [wash, clean, dry] your shorts
  7. [put on, wear] a pair of shorts
  8. is a good day for shorts
  9. are going to be cold in shorts
  10. that's (about) the long and the short of it
  11. UK: three shorts of [whiskey, vodka, gin]
v
  1. the [circuit, breaker, fuse, computer, TV] shorted (out)
  2. shorted (out) the [circuit] (by, with)
  3. the [car, motorbike] kept shorting
  4. short the [customer, buyer, seller, dealer, client] [$40]
  5. shorted by the [cashier, assistant]
adv
  1. his [speech, demonstration] was cut short (by)
  2. the [train, car, bike] stopped short
  3. she stopped short of [saying, insulting, swearing]
  4. the [attempt] fell short of [the mark, expectations]
additional examples
  1. the [circuit, breaker, fuse, computer, TV] shorted (out)
  2. [Bermuda, long, beach, swim] shorts
  3. a short [child, man, boy, woman, girl, student]
  4. shorted (out) the [circuit] (by, with)
  5. [cotton, denim, check, patterned] shorts
  6. the shortest [boy] in the [class, school]
  7. the [car, motorbike] kept shorting
  8. cinema: an [animated, independent, acclaimed] short
  9. am too short to reach
  10. short the [customer, buyer, seller, dealer, client] [$40]
  11. shorts and [movies, feature films, documentaries]
  12. in just a short [time, period]
  13. shorted by the [cashier, assistant]
  14. shorts on the [markets, stock exchange]
  15. wrote a short [story, description, article]
  16. [wash, clean, dry] your shorts
  17. like to take short [breaks, pauses] from
  18. [put on, wear] a pair of shorts
  19. take a short [break, trip, vacation]
  20. is a good day for shorts
  21. [made, directed] a short film
  22. are going to be cold in shorts
  23. it is a very short distance
  24. that's (about) the long and the short of it
  25. a short and [swift, rude, curt] reply
  26. UK: three shorts of [whiskey, vodka, gin]
  27. a short, sharp [shock, pain]
  28. a short circuit
  29. (a) short back and sides
  30. (was) short and sweet
  31. the [pants, sleeves] are too short for me
  32. short-sleeve [shirts, vests, tops]
  33. is wearing a short-sleeve shirt
  34. short-term [storage, park, rental]
  35. short-term [goals, aims, objectives]
  36. short-changed me
  37. was short-changed by
  38. his [speech, demonstration] was cut short (by)
  39. am just short of [my goals, $40, 5 feet]
  40. am just short of [becoming, finishing, having]
  41. am short of breath from the [run, workout]
  42. the [train, car, bike] stopped short
  43. she stopped short of [saying, insulting, swearing]
  44. the [attempt] fell short of [the mark, expectations]
  45. am (a little) short on [time, money]
  46. drew the short straw
  47. [hit, play, bowl] a short ball
  48. UK: gave him short shrift
  49. UK: got short shrift (from)
'short' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Easter - a little - acumen - agreement - arm - athletic - attention - attitude - beaver - blast - bloom - bow - box - break - brush - burst - cancer - capability - career - cargo - cash - celebration - chap - chase - chat - chuck - claw - click - cloud - consulation - consult - consultancy - corridor - counter - crop - crossing - crutch - curly - curve - cycle - dagger - dash - delay - depart - dime - distance - dough - drive - duration - elf

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