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:
They noted that around 150 million U.S. customers shop at the chain weekly, meaning it has no shortage of shopper data to draw from.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
The electronic-components maker is facing lower build volumes and weaker factory utilization amid a memory shortage and slower recovery in low- and mid-tier Android smart phones and tablets, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
But with the water shortage leaving a dearth of forage grass and hay, she said it’s getting much harder to earn a living.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Kenyans love their milky tea, or chai, but some are facing the worrying possibility of doing without as the country has been hit by a milk shortage.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Faced with a labor shortage, the Europeans turned their eyes to Africa.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Gallo Saidy, the Nawec chief, also appealed for patience, saying reduced electricity imports from the regional grid had contributed to the shortages.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
The shortages have roiled logistics, lifted costs and ruined the plans of many Mongolians accustomed to taking advantage of the short summer season with a road trip in the picturesque countryside.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Navy attributed the incidents on the Truman in part to staffing shortages on the carrier and fatigue among overworked sailors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
To deal with the water shortages along the Colorado River, others have suggested policies that encourage farmers to grow less hay — which consumes nearly half of the water diverted from the river.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
Everyone, Jewish or not, began to worry about food shortages.
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
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.
