adj.
         - of a small length or duration. ▸(of a ball in sport) travelling only a small distance before bouncing. 
- relatively small in extent.
- (of a person) small in height.
- 
(short of/on)
 not having enough of (something); lacking or deficient in. ▸in insufficient supply. 
- (of a person) terse; uncivil.
- Phonetics  (of a vowel) categorized as short with regard to quality and length (e.g. in standard British English the vowel  
/ʊ/
 in good). ▸Prosody  (of a vowel or syllable) having the lesser of the two recognized durations. 
- (of odds or a chance) reflecting or representing a high level of probability.
- Stock Exchange  (of shares or other assets) sold in advance of being acquired. ▸(of a security) maturing at a relatively early date. 
- (of pastry) containing a high proportion of fat to flour and therefore crumbly. ▸(of clay) having poor plasticity. 
adv.
 (in sport) at, to, or over a short distance. 
▸not as far as the point aimed at.
n.
      - Brit. informal a strong alcoholic drink, especially spirits, served in small measures.
- a short film as opposed to a feature film.
- a short sound, vowel, or syllable.
- a short circuit.
- 
(shorts)
 Stock Exchange  short-dated stocks.
- 
(shorts)
 a mixture of bran and coarse flour.
v.
 short-circuit.
Phrase
  
    - be caught 
(or Brit. taken)
 short
 - be put at a disadvantage.
- Brit. informal urgently need to urinate or defecate.
 
- a brick short of a load 
(or two sandwiches short of a picnic, etc.)
 informal (of a person) stupid or crazy.
- bring 
(or pull)
 someone up short
 cause someone to stop or pause abruptly.
- for short
 as an abbreviation or nickname.
- get 
(or have)
 someone by the short and curlies
 informal have complete control of a person.
- go short
 not have enough of something, especially food.
- in short
 to sum up; briefly.
- in short order
 chiefly N. Amer. immediately; rapidly.
- in the short run 
(or term)
 in the near future.
- in short supply
 (of a commodity) scarce.
- make short work of
 accomplish, consume, or destroy quickly.
- short and sweet
 brief and pleasant.
- short for
 an abbreviation or nickname for.
- short of
 - less than.
- not reaching as far as.
- without going so far as (some extreme action).
 
- short of breath
 panting; short-winded.
- stop short
 stop suddenly or abruptly.
 
  Derivative
  
    - shortish adj.
- shortness n.
 
  Etymology
  OE sceort, of Gmc origin; rel. to shirt, skirt.