short

/ʃˈɔɹt/ · 1 syllable

Meaning

adjective

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
“a short life”
(primarily spatial sense) having little length or lacking in length
“short skirts”
low in stature; not tall
“he was short and stocky”
of insufficient quantity to meet a need
“an inadequate income”
(of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
“a short memory”
not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices
“a short sale”
of speech sounds or syllables of relatively short duration
“the English vowel sounds in `pat', `pet', `pit', `pot', putt' are short”
less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so
“a light pound”
lacking foresight or scope
“a short view of the problem”
tending to crumble or break into flakes due to a large amount of shortening
“shortbread is a short crumbly cookie”
marked by rude or peremptory shortness
“try to cultivate a less brusque manner”

adverb

quickly and without warning
“he stopped suddenly”
without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold
“he made his fortune by selling short just before the crash”
clean across
“the car's axle snapped short”
at some point or distance before a goal is reached
“he fell short of our expectations”
so as to interrupt
“She took him up short before he could continue”
at a disadvantage
“I was caught short”
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
“he told me curtly to get on with it”

noun

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

verb

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