short
/ʃɔrt/
verb
- To cause a short circuit in an electrical system.
- Water spilled on the device and shorted it out.
- Be careful not to short the battery terminals.
- The old wires shorted and sparked.
- To sell borrowed stock in the hope of buying it back at a lower price.
- Investors shorted the stock after the bad earnings report.
- Many hedge funds shorted the company's shares.
- He shorted the market and made a fortune.
adjective
- Measuring a small distance from end to end; not long or tall.
- She wore a short skirt to the party.
- He is shorter than his younger brother.
- The dog has short legs, so it can't run very fast.
- Lasting for a small amount of time; brief.
- The meeting was very short, only ten minutes.
- Life is too short to hold grudges.
- We took a short break for coffee.
- Less than the expected or needed amount; insufficient.
- We are short on cash this month.
- She is always short of time before exams.
- The shipment was short by three boxes.
- Rude or abrupt in manner; curt.
- Don't be so short with me; I'm just trying to help.
- Her short reply made it clear she was annoyed.
- He was short with the waiter when his order was wrong.
adverb
- Abruptly or suddenly; before the expected time or place.
- He cut short his vacation and returned home.
- The car stopped short when a deer ran across the road.
- The plane fell short of the runway and landed in a field.
- In a way that is not enough; insufficiently.
- We ran short of supplies during the hike.
- The arrow fell short of the target.
- Her performance fell short of expectations.
noun
- A short film or video, especially one that is not feature-length.
- We watched a funny short before the main movie.
- The festival featured several award-winning shorts.
- He directed a short about life in the city.
- A short circuit, or a device that causes one.
- He fixed the short in the wiring.
- The toaster caused a short and tripped the breaker.
- An electrical short started the fire.
- A short position in finance, where an investor sells borrowed stock expecting the price to fall.
- Taking a short can be risky if the stock price rises.
- She covered her short by buying back the shares at a lower price.
- The trader made a profit on his short of the company's stock.