short

short is on the Basic English 850 List.

shoe - short - shut

short is one of the 1000 most common headwords.

shop - short - should

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /ʃɔːt/, SAMPA: /SO:t/
• (US) enPR: shôrt, IPA ^(key): /ʃɔrt/, SAMPA: /SOrt/
• (AU) (NZ) IPA ^(key): /ʃoːt/

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Adjective

Positive short

Comparative shorter

Superlative shortest

1. If something is short then there is a small distance from the bottom to the top. The opposite is tall.

   I can't reach the table because I'm too short.

   The more I use the pencil, the shorter it becomes.

2. If something is short then there is a small distance from the one end to the other. The opposite is long.

   The city centre and shops are only a short distance away.

3. If something is short then it takes a little time.

   I'm going to Chengdu for a short break.

Preposition

Preposition short

1. Short of (doing) sth is equal to unless sth happens.

   Nothing short of help from god will save him.

   Short of giving them the answers, there's nothing we can do.

2. If you're running short of something, you don't have enough.

   We're running short of time, so can you hurry up?

3. If something is short of it's target, it isn't all the way there.

   The plane touched down just short of the landing area.

4. If you cut something short, you end it before the planned time.

   They cut short their vacation when the weather changed.

   Jackson cut short his trip to Africa.

Synonyms

• except
• other than
• aside from
• apart from

Related words

• shortly
• shorten
• shorty