short

ENEnglish
//ʃɔːt//(Received Pronunciation)

Direct German Translations & Equivalents:

Click any term below to jump straight to its full vocabulary entry in German:

Verb Conjugation Tables & Inflections

Key Verb Forms & Inflections
Third-person singular (he/she/it):shorts
Present Participle (-ing):shorting
Past Participle:shorted
Simple Past:shorted

Definitions & Usage

adjective
#1

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

adjective
#2

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

adjective
#3

Having little duration.

Example: Our meeting was a short six minutes today. Every day for the past month it’s been at least twenty minutes long.
Translations:[DE]kurz
adjective
#4

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

Example: "Phone" is short for "telephone" and "asap" short for "as soon as possible".
adjective
#5

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

adjective
#6

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

adjective
#7

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

adjective
#8

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

adjective
#9

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

Example: shortbread
Example: hot short
adjective
#10

Abrupt, brief, pointed, curt.

Example: He gave a short answer to the question.
adjective
#11

Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty.

Example: a short supply of provisions
Translations:
adjective
#12

Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied, especially with money; scantily furnished; lacking.

Example: to be short of money
Example: I'd lend you the cash but I'm a little short at present.
adjective
#13

Deficient; less; not coming up to a measure or standard.

Example: an account which is short of the truth
Translations:
adjective
#14

(colloquial) Undiluted; neat.

Translations:
adjective
#15

(obsolete) Not distant in time; near at hand.

Translations:
adjective
#16

(finance) Being in a financial investment position that is structured to be profitable if the price of the underlying security declines in the future.

Example: short position
Example: I'm short in General Motors because I think their sales are plunging.
adjective
#17

(by extension) Doubtful of, skeptical of.

adjective
#18

(finance, dated) Of money, given in the fewest possible notes, i.e. those of the largest denomination.

adverb
#19

Abruptly, curtly, briefly.

Example: They had to stop short to avoid hitting the dog in the street.
Example: He cut me short repeatedly in the meeting.
adverb
#20

Unawares.

Example: The recent developments at work caught them short.
Example: We were caught short by the sudden hailstorm.
adverb
#21

Without achieving a goal or requirement.

Example: His speech fell short of what was expected.
Translations:
adverb
#22

(cricket, of the manner of bounce of a cricket ball) Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.

adverb
#23

(finance) With a negative ownership position.

Example: We went short most finance companies in July.
Translations:
noun
#24

A short circuit.

Example: The circuit breaker keeps tripping because there's a short in the wiring.
noun
#25

A short film.

noun
#26

A short version of a garment in a particular size.

Example: 38 short suits fit me right off the rack.
Example: Do you have that size in a short?
noun
#27

(baseball) A shortstop.

Example: Jones smashes a grounder between third and short.
noun
#28

(finance) A short seller.

Example: The market decline was terrible, but the shorts were buying champagne.
noun
#29

(finance) A short sale or short position.

Example: He closed out his short at a modest loss after three months.
noun
#30

A summary account.

Translations:
noun
#31

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

noun
#32

(programming) An integer variable having a smaller range than normal integers; usually two bytes long.

noun
#33

(US, slang) An automobile.

Example: crack shorts
noun
#34

(Philippines) Ellipsis of short bond paper.

verb
#35

(transitive) To cause a short circuit in (something).

Example: You should short the poles of the capacitor to discharge it before you work on it.
Translations:[DE]kurzschließen
verb
#36

(intransitive, of an electrical circuit) To short circuit.

verb
#37

(transitive, informal) To provide with an amount smaller than that agreed or labeled; to shortchange.

Example: This is the third time I've caught them shorting us.
verb
#38

(transitive, business) 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.

verb
#39

(obsolete) To shorten.

preposition
#40

Deficient in.

Example: We are short a few men on the second shift.
Example: He's short common sense.
Synonyms:
Translations:
preposition
#41

(finance) Having a negative position in.

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

Notable Literary & Historical Quotes

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 trick, as it always did when Wettle-dodging, since the diminutive headshrink kept disappearing into commissaries or service corridors or even other people's offices and emerging, smiling, in front of her.

2022 September 22, HarryBlank, “Mind Over Matter”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 23 May 2024:

The results of this generalized speedup of the corporate metabolism are multiple: shorter product life cycles, more leasing and renting, more frequent buying and selling, more ephemeral consumption patterns, […]

1980, Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave, page 230:

Last spring, the periodical cicadas emerged across eastern North America. Their vast numbers and short above-ground life spans inspired awe and irritation in humans—and made for good meals for birds and small mammals.

2012 March-April, Anna Lena Phillips, “Sneaky Silk Moths”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 19 Feb 2013, page 172:

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