50 Idioms for Short With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Short
1. Short and sweet
Meaning: Brief but pleasant or effective.
In a Sentence: His speech was short and sweet, leaving everyone satisfied.
Other Ways to Say: Concise, To the point, Brief.
2. In a nutshell
Meaning: Summarized briefly.
In a Sentence: In a nutshell, we’re out of time.
Other Ways to Say: In brief, In short, Summarily.
3. Cut it short
Meaning: End something before its natural finish.
In a Sentence: We had to cut our meeting short because of the emergency.
Other Ways to Say: Wrap up early, End abruptly, Conclude quickly.
4. Make short work of
Meaning: Finish something quickly.
In a Sentence: He made short work of cleaning the room.
Other Ways to Say: Do quickly, Finish fast, Speed through.
5. Short fuse
Meaning: Someone who gets angry quickly.
In a Sentence: Be careful, he has a short fuse.
Other Ways to Say: Hot-tempered, Quick to anger, Irritable.
6. Run short of
Meaning: Have little or none left.
In a Sentence: We’ve run short of sugar for tea.
Other Ways to Say: Run out of, Be low on, Be out of.
7. Fall short
Meaning: Fail to meet expectations.
In a Sentence: His performance fell short of expectations.
Other Ways to Say: Miss the mark, Underperform, Disappoint.
8. Short-handed
Meaning: Lacking enough people.
In a Sentence: We were short-handed during the festival.
Other Ways to Say: Understaffed, Few in number, Insufficient.
9. In short order
Meaning: Quickly or immediately.
In a Sentence: The team fixed the issue in short order.
Other Ways to Say: Promptly, Rapidly, Without delay.
10. Come up short
Meaning: Fail to achieve a goal.
In a Sentence: They came up short in the final match.
Other Ways to Say: Fall short, Miss the target, Underachieve.
11. Short shrift
Meaning: Little attention or time.
In a Sentence: His complaints got short shrift from the manager.
Other Ways to Say: Ignored, Dismissed quickly, Neglected.
12. Short-lived
Meaning: Lasting for a brief time.
In a Sentence: Their happiness was short-lived.
Other Ways to Say: Temporary, Brief, Fleeting.
13. Keep it short
Meaning: Make something brief.
In a Sentence: Please keep your answers short.
Other Ways to Say: Be brief, Stay concise, Don’t elaborate.
14. A short leash
Meaning: Close control or strict supervision.
In a Sentence: The boss keeps new employees on a short leash.
Other Ways to Say: Strict control, Limited freedom, Tight supervision.
15. Stop short
Meaning: Suddenly halt or pause.
In a Sentence: He stopped short when he saw the snake.
Other Ways to Say: Halt suddenly, Freeze, Pause abruptly.
16. Short notice
Meaning: With little advance warning.
In a Sentence: They canceled the event on short notice.
Other Ways to Say: At the last minute, Quickly, Unexpectedly.
17. Sell yourself short
Meaning: Underestimate your abilities.
In a Sentence: Don’t sell yourself short — you’re talented.
Other Ways to Say: Undervalue, Underestimate, Doubt yourself.
18. Come up short
Meaning: Fail slightly to reach a goal.
In a Sentence: He came up short in the final exams.
Other Ways to Say: Miss the mark, Fall behind, Just miss.
19. Short-changed
Meaning: Treated unfairly by receiving less than due.
In a Sentence: The cashier short-changed me today.
Other Ways to Say: Cheated, Deprived, Ripped off.
20. Short memory
Meaning: Forgetful.
In a Sentence: He seems to have a short memory for promises.
Other Ways to Say: Forgetful, Absent-minded, Scatterbrained.
21. Take a short cut
Meaning: Find a quicker way.
In a Sentence: We took a short cut through the alley.
Other Ways to Say: Faster route, Quick path, Alternate way
22. Short end of the stick
Meaning: Getting the unfair or bad side of a deal.
In a Sentence: I always get the short end of the stick.
Other Ways to Say: Bad deal, Unfair share, Worst part.
23. Short temper
Meaning: Quick to anger.
In a Sentence: Be careful — he has a short temper.
Other Ways to Say: Hot-headed, Touchy, Easily angered.
24. Short on time
Meaning: Lacking time.
In a Sentence: I’m short on time today.
Other Ways to Say: Busy, Rushed, Pressed for time.
25. Short story
Meaning: A brief explanation.
In a Sentence: The short story is we missed the bus.
Other Ways to Say: Quick version, Summary, Brief account.
26. In short supply
Meaning: Not available in large amounts.
In a Sentence: Good jobs are in short supply these days.
Other Ways to Say: Scarce, Rare, Limited.
27. Short run
Meaning: A brief period of time.
In a Sentence: The new law will benefit people in the short run.
Other Ways to Say: For now, Temporarily, Briefly.
28. Cut short
Meaning: End before expected.
In a Sentence: His vacation was cut short due to work.
Other Ways to Say: Interrupt, Terminate, Finish early.
29. Short on cash
Meaning: Lacking money.
In a Sentence: I’m a little short on cash this week.
Other Ways to Say: Broke, Low on funds, Out of money.
30. Short spell
Meaning: A brief duration.
In a Sentence: After a short spell of rain, the sun came out.
Other Ways to Say: Quick period, Short phase, Brief moment.
31. Draw the short straw
Meaning: Be chosen for an unwanted task.
In a Sentence: I drew the short straw and had to clean the room.
Other Ways to Say: Get the worst job, Be unlucky, Get stuck.
32. Short haul
Meaning: A short journey or task.
In a Sentence: It’s only a short haul to the station.
Other Ways to Say: Quick trip, Nearby, Short ride.
33. Short fuse
Meaning: Quick to lose temper.
In a Sentence: He’s got a short fuse — be careful.
Other Ways to Say: Hot-tempered, Irritable, Touchy.
34. Short leash
Meaning: Strict control over someone.
In a Sentence: The kids are on a short leash when visiting grandma.
Other Ways to Say: Controlled, Supervised closely, Monitored.
35. Short order
Meaning: Quickly prepared food.
In a Sentence: The diner serves short order meals.
Other Ways to Say: Fast food, Quick dish, Rapid meal.
36. A short stack
Meaning: A small pile, usually of pancakes.
In a Sentence: I ordered a short stack for breakfast.
Other Ways to Say: Small portion, Few, Limited.
37. At short notice
Meaning: With very little warning.
In a Sentence: He canceled the trip at short notice.
Other Ways to Say: Last minute, Unexpectedly, Abruptly.
38. Short odds
Meaning: High chance of something happening.
In a Sentence: There are short odds on him winning.
Other Ways to Say: Likely, Probable, Expected.
39. Short of breath
Meaning: Having difficulty breathing.
In a Sentence: After running, she was short of breath.
Other Ways to Say: Winded, Gasping, Out of breath.
40. A short stack
Meaning: Small amount of something stacked.
In a Sentence: He left a short stack of files on my desk.
Other Ways to Say: Small pile, Tiny stack, Little heap.
41. Short of a miracle
Meaning: Something unlikely to happen.
In a Sentence: Short of a miracle, we can’t finish today.
Other Ways to Say: Impossible, Highly unlikely, Rare.
42. Short-sighted
Meaning: Lacking foresight.
In a Sentence: His decision was short-sighted.
Other Ways to Say: Unwise, Impulsive, Thoughtless.
43. Short memory
Meaning: Tendency to forget quickly.
In a Sentence: The public has a short memory for scandals.
Other Ways to Say: Forgetful, Absent-minded, Careless.
44. Short temper
Meaning: Easily angered.
In a Sentence: Don’t provoke him — he has a short temper.
Other Ways to Say: Quick to anger, Hot-headed, Impatient.
45. Short odds
Meaning: High probability of happening.
In a Sentence: There are short odds he’ll be late.
Other Ways to Say: Likely, Highly possible, Expected.
46. Short shift
Meaning: Little time or attention.
In a Sentence: The topic was given short shift in the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Brief mention, Little focus, Neglect.
47. Short route
Meaning: A faster, less lengthy way.
In a Sentence: Let’s take the short route home.
Other Ways to Say: Shortcut, Quick path, Direct way.
48. Short span
Meaning: A brief duration.
In a Sentence: His fame lasted only a short span.
Other Ways to Say: Brief time, Limited period, Quick spell.
49. Short taste
Meaning: A small sample or trial.
In a Sentence: I had a short taste of city life.
Other Ways to Say: Glimpse, Brief experience, Quick sample.
50. Short wave
Meaning: A quick, small hand gesture.
In a Sentence: She gave me a short wave from across the room.
Other Ways to Say: Quick wave, Tiny gesture, Brief hello.
