noun
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Etymology
Origin of shortage
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How does shortage compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A shortage is a lack of something, especially a severe lack. A drought is a shortage of water. When there's a shortage, there's not enough of something. If you don't have enough money to pay your bills, you have a shortage of money. A bad football team may have a shortage of good players. This kind of shortage is like a deficit or shortfall. A shortage can also be a severe dearth of something, like a famine, which is a lack of food. If there's a drought because of little rainfall, that's a serious shortage.
Vocabulary lists containing shortage
World War I
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World War II
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Paltry Parlance: Synonyms for "Few"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To address the physician shortage, Congress could also pass the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2025, which would increase the number of Medicare-funded residency slots, particularly in rural and underserved regions.
From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026
Appeared in the January 17, 2026, print edition as 'The Global Memory-Chip Shortage Will Cost Us'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026
Congress is currently deliberating on a proposed Drug Shortage Prevention Act that would authorize the FDA to require manufacturers to report anticipated shortages ahead of time.
From Scientific American • Sep. 18, 2023
The governor also called attention to a proposal to strengthen the pipeline of qualified teachers with a measure called the “Maryland Educator Shortage Act.”
From Seattle Times • Feb. 1, 2023
Shortage of Rubber.—We know how, in the beginning of 1917, they were compelled to substitute leather in the substance of the mask.
From The Riddle of the Rhine; chemical strategy in peace and war by Lefebure, Victor
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
