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.
See Examples For:
And they could keep rising for a few more years due to a persistent shortage of the building blocks of AI networks, said Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the Global Electronics Association.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
The shortage of fresh water and a process of salinisation, as seawater pushes inland through the river network, have affected the entire country.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Castro was obsessed with cloning Ubre Blanca, a champion milk cow, to end the chronic milk shortage his agricultural policies created.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
On the European stage, there has been no shortage of golden moments - but none will come close to this emotional full-circle moment.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
The worker shortage caused by the war left the shapeup empty and laborers in high demand.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
Families have reported food shortages, problems with drinking water, broken showers and laundry facilities and growing psychological strain among the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
In a letter to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao on Wednesday, Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said that reports of shortages and poor conditions "warrant immediate attention".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
He said he heard concerns about moldy showers, broken toilets, lack of hot water, lack of access to fresh produce and supply shortages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
MS Now reported earlier this month that sailors aboard the Lincoln were facing tough conditions including shortages of food and toothpaste and soap.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
It was a time of shortages and limited labor-saving devices, and housework could take hours.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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.
