caught short

Idioms

Found to be lacking something one needs, especially money, as in Can you pay the check? I seem to be caught short. This idiom uses short in the sense of “lacking money,” a usage dating from the early 1500s.

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.

Speculators get caught short and are forced to sell some of their assets at fire-sale prices in order to raise cash to cover their debts.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025

Anyone caught short on a day like that risked being crushed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025

She set up the popular TikTok account Loos of London, highlighting places for when you're caught short.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2025

Meanwhile, the economy was slowing as growing numbers of property developers defaulted on debts, caught short in a crackdown on excessive borrowing that began in 2020 and has hamstrung the entire industry.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 20, 2023

Yang Fan did not expect my attack and was caught short.

From "Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution" by Ji-li Jiang

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023