in short supply

Idioms  

1. Less than is needed, lacking. For example, Skilled operators were in short supply, or The hotels are all full, and beds are in short supply. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in short supply

Both share a mischievous sense of humor and irony generally in short supply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Insatiable global appetite for the silicon components used in AI data centres -- especially memory chips, which are in short supply -- has sent revenues soaring for firms that design, produce and assemble them.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

With carbohydrates such as glucose in short supply, the body begins using fatty acids as a major energy source.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Talent like his is in short supply in 2026, especially after Schlesinger himself passed away in 2020.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Since candles are in short supply, we fit them for only ten minutes, but as long as we sing the song, that doesn’t matter.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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Related Words

• deficient
• limited
• rare
• scant
• scanty
• sparse
• sporadic

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