- if 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.
Definitions on the go
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- not as far as you need or expect
- All too often you pitch the ball short.
- before 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.
- His career was cut short by injury.
Word OriginOld English sceort, of Germanic origin; related to shirt and skirt.
Idioms
See short in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee short in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe caught short
(British English also be taken short)
- (British English, informal) to suddenly feel a strong need to go to the toilet
- to be put at a disadvantage
come short
- (South African English, informal) to have an accident; to get into trouble
fall short of something | fall short of the mark
- 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
- to make somebody suddenly stop what they are doing
- I was brought up short by a terrible thought.
sell somebody/yourself short
- to not value somebody/yourself highly enough and show this by the way you treat or present them/yourself
short of (doing) something
- 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
- 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
- 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.
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short