Definition of short adverb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary



    BrE BrE//ʃɔːt//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ʃɔːrt//
    (shorter, shortest)
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  1. 1if you go short of or run short of something, you do not have enough of it I'd never let you go short of anything. Mothers regularly go short of food to ensure their children have enough. They had run short of (= used most of their supply of) fuel.
  2. 2not as far as you need or expect All too often you pitch the ball short.
  3. 3before the time expected or arranged; before the natural time a career tragically cut short by illness I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you short there, as time is running out.
  4. Word Origin Old English sceort, of Germanic origin; related to shirt and skirt.Idioms
      be caught short (British English also be taken short)
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    1. 1(British English, informal) to suddenly feel an urgent need to go to the toilet/bathroom
    2. 2to be put at a disadvantage
    (South African English, informal) to have an accident; to get into trouble
    fall short of something
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    to fail to reach the standard that you expected or need The hotel fell far short of their expectations.
    pull, bring, etc. somebody up short
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    to make somebody suddenly stop what they are doing I was brought up short by a terrible thought.
    sell somebody/yourself short
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    to not value somebody/yourself highly enough and show this by the way you treat or present them/yourself
    short of (doing) something
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    without something; without doing something; unless something happens Short of a miracle, we're certain to lose. Short of asking her to leave (= and we don't want to do that) there's not a lot we can do about the situation.
    stop short, stop somebody short
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    to suddenly stop, or make somebody suddenly stop, doing something He stopped short when he heard his name. ‘I’m pregnant,’ she said. That stopped him short.
    stop short of something/of doing something
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    to be unwilling to do something because it may involve a risk, but to nearly do it She stopped short of calling the president a liar. The protest stopped short of a violent confrontation.
See the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary entry: short