short 1 S1 W1 / ʃɔt $ ʃɔrt / 形容词 ( comparative shorter , superlative shortest )
1 time happening or continuing for only a little time or for less time than usual 反义词 long :
a short meeting
Morris gave a short laugh.
a short course on business English
Winter is coming and the days are getting shorter.
I’ve only been in Brisbane a short time .
For a short while (= a short time ) , the city functioned as the region’s capital.
I learned a lot during my short period as a junior reporter.
Germany achieved spectacular economic success in a relatively short period of time .
They met and married within a short space of time .
I promise to keep the meeting short and sweet (= short in a way that is good, especially not talking for a long time ) .
For a few short weeks (= they seemed to pass very quickly ) , the sun shone and the fields turned gold.
2 length/distance measuring a small amount in length or distance 反义词 long :
a short skirt
Anita had her hair cut short.
They went by the shortest route, across the fields.
Carol’s office was only a short distance away, and she decided that she would walk there.
a short walk/flight/drive
It’s a short drive to the airport.
The hotel is only a short walk from the beach.
3 not tall someone who is short is not as tall as most people 反义词 tall :
a short plump woman
Chris was short and stocky, with broad shoulders.
He’s a bit shorter than me.
4 book/letter a book, letter etc that is short does not have many words or pages 反义词 long :
a short novel
I wrote a short note to explain. → short story
5 not enough
a) if you are short of something, you do not have enough of it
be short (of something)
Can you lend me a couple of dollars? I’m a little short.
be short of money/cash/funds
Our libraries are short of funds.
be 5p/$10 etc short
Have you all paid me? I’m about £9 short.
I’m a bit short British English spoken (= I haven’t got much money at the moment )
somebody is not short of something British English (= they have a lot of it )
Your little girl’s not short of confidence, is she?
They’re not short of a few bob (= they are rich ) .
b) if something is short, there is not enough of it :
Money was short in those days.
It’s going to be difficult – time is short.
Gasoline was in short supply (= not enough of it was available ) after the war.
6 be short on something to have less of something than you should have :
He’s a nice guy, but a little short on brains.
The president’s speech was long on colorful 短语 but short on solutions.
7 less than a little less than a number
short of
Her time was only two seconds short of the world record.
just/a little short of something
She was just short of six feet tall.
8 short notice if something is short notice, you are told about it only a short time before it happens :
I can’t make it Friday. It’s very short notice .
at short notice British English on short notice American English :
The party was arranged at short notice.
9 in the short term/run during the period of time that is not very far into the future → short-term :
These measures may save money in the short term, but we’ll end up spending more later.
10 have a short memory if someone has a short memory, they soon forget something that has happened :
Voters have very short memories.
11 be short for something to be a shorter way of saying a name :
Her name is Alex, short for Alexandra.
12 be short of breath to be unable to breathe easily, especially because you are unhealthy :
He couldn’t walk far without getting short of breath.
13 be short with somebody to speak to someone using very few words, in a way that seems rude or unfriendly :
Sorry I was short with you on the phone this morning.
14 have a short temper/fuse to get angry very easily :
Mr Yanto, who had a very short fuse, told her to get out.
15 get/be given short shrift if you or your idea, suggestion etc is given short shrift, you are told immediately that you are wrong and are not given any attention or sympathy :
McLaren got short shrift from all the record companies when he first presented his new band to them in 1976.
16 be nothing/little short of something used to emphasize that something is very good, very surprising etc :
Her recovery seemed nothing short of a miracle.
The results are little short of astonishing.
17 draw/get the short straw to be given something difficult or unpleasant to do, especially when other people have been given something better :
Giles drew the short straw, and has to give us a talk this morning.
18 make short work of (doing) something to finish something quickly and easily, especially food or a job :
The kids made short work of the sandwiches.
Computers can make short work of complex calculations.
19 have/get somebody by the short and curlies ( also have/get somebody by the short hairs ) British English informal not polite to put someone in a situation in which they are forced to do or accept what you want :
I signed the contract – they’ve got me by the short and curlies.
20 be one … short of a … spoken used humorously to say that someone is a little crazy or stupid :
Lady, are you a few aces short of a deck?
He’s one sandwich short of a picnic .
21 short time British English when workers work for fewer hours than usual, because the company cannot afford to pay them their full wage :
Most of the workers were put on short time .
22 in short order formal in a short time and without delay
23 give somebody short measure British English old-fashioned to give someone less than the correct amount of something, especially in a shop
24 sound technical a short vowel is 代词 ced quickly without being emphasized, for example the sound of a in ‘cat’, e in ‘bet’, and i in ‘bit’ 反义词 long
— shortness 名词 [不可数名词] :
He was suffering from shortness of breath.
Shirley was very conscious of her shortness and always wore high heels. → life’s too short at life ( 27 )
THESAURUS
time
short not long : I lived in Tokyo for a short time. | Smokers have a shorter life expectancy than non-smokers.
brief especially written lasting only for a short time. Brief is more formal than short , and is used especially in written English : The President will make a brief visit to Seattle today. | He coached Hingis for a brief period in the 1990s.
quick [仅用于名词前] taking a short time to do something : I had a quick look at the map. | He had a quick shower and then went out.
short-lived lasting only for a short time – used especially when someone wishes that a good situation had been able to last for longer : short-lived success | The ceasefire was short-lived. | a short-lived romance | short-lived optimism about the economy
fleeting lasting only for an extremely short time – used especially when someone wishes that something had been able to last for longer : a fleeting visit | a fleeting smile | She caught a fleeting glimpse of him. | a fleeting moment of happiness | a fleeting thought
momentary lasting for a very short time – used especially about feelings or pauses : There was a momentary pause in the conversation. | The momentary panic ended when he found his two-year-old son waiting happily outside the store.
passing [仅用于名词前] lasting only for a short time – used especially when people are only interested in something or mention something for a short time : passing fashions | He made only a passing reference to war. | It’s just a passing phase (= it will end soon ) .
ephemeral formal lasting only for a short time, and ending quickly like everything else in this world : Beauty is ephemeral. | the ephemeral nature of our existence | His wealth proved to be ephemeral.
person
short someone who is short is not as tall as most people : He was a short fat man.
not very tall quite short. This 短语 sounds more gentle than saying that someone is short : She wasn’t very tall – maybe about 1.60 m.
small short and with a small body : My mother was a small woman. | The girl was quite small for her age (= smaller than other girls of the same age ) .
petite used about a woman who is attractively short and thin : She was a petite woman with blonde hair.
stocky used about a boy or man who is short, heavy, and strong : Harry was stocky and middle-aged.
dumpy short and fat : a dumpy girl with red hair
diminutive formal literary very short or small – used especially in descriptions in novels : a diminutive figure dressed in black
stubby stubby fingers or toes are short and thick : the baby’s stubby little fingers