Word of the Day: Short
The word “short” is an adjective. It’s the opposite of “tall” or “long.”
- Edgar is short. He’s five feet, three inches tall.
- It’s a short, one-hour flight to Chicago.
- That move was short. It was only an hour and a half.
- The students spent a short amount of time in the classroom today.
The word “short” is also a great word to use when you don’t have enough of something. You can use this for money, time, or just about anything that you can count. Here are some examples:
- The restaurant at the hotel was short-staffed last night, so everyone had to work harder.
- Alex’s term paper was a few pages short, so the teacher gave him a lower grade.
- Can you please hurry? We’re short of time.
- I’m short of money. Can I borrow some from you?
- Ayan wanted to buy some shoes that cost $30, but she was six dollars short. How much money did she have? (Answer: twenty-four dollars)
- Todd checked his cash register and noticed he was a hundred dollars short. What happened to the money?
A person who wears shorts, wears pants that do not go all the way down the legs. The pants are short. Shorts are worn by men and women.
- Ronald wears shorts in the summer.
- I like to wear shorts when it’s hot outside.
- The doctor told his patient to strip down to his shorts. (Sometimes the word “shorts” refers to a man’s underwear.)
The word “shorten” is a verb. It means to make something shorter.
| simple | past | past participle |
|---|---|---|
|
shorten
|
shortened
|
shortened
|
- A tailor shortened the sleeves on my coat because they were too long.
- The meeting was shortened by about half an hour.
- The workday is shortened on Christmas Eve so that people can get home to be with their families.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with S page to see the list of all words starting with letter S. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
