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• short list
  short list

  noun

  a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities.
• short-list
  short-list

  verb (used with object)

  to put on a short list.

short list

¹ American  

Or shortlist

noun

1. a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities.

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short-list ² American  

[shawrt-list] / ˈʃɔrtˌlɪst /

Or shortlist

verb (used with object)

1. to put on a short list.

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short list British  

noun

1. a list of suitable applicants for a job, post, etc, from which the successful candidate will be selected

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verb

1. to put (someone) on a short list

Other Word Forms

• shortlistee
  noun
• shortlister
  noun

Etymology

Origin of short list

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

short list short-list

It conspicuously added strategic cyberattacks to the short list of provocations that might prompt a U.S. nuclear response.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026

Carson admitted that when he was first applying for jobs "there was a short list of options".

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

There’s a special kind of comfort in having a short list of meals you know, with almost mathematical certainty, will land.

From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2025

Scientists have now added another to that short list by observing neutrinos convert carbon atoms into nitrogen inside a massive underground detector.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 12, 2025

Claudette Colvin had been on Fred Gray’s short list from the moment he conceived the suit.

From "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose

“I feel like I’m on the short-list for going there, but it’s really a matter of waiting for the IndyCar schedule and seeing if I’m even available,” Johnson said.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2022

He sought to articulate and protect “freedom in all its dimensions,” which requires going beyond the relatively short-list of liberties the Constitution explicitly mentions.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2022

Trump also indicated that Allison Jones Rushing, a 38-year-old appellate judge from North Carolina, is also on the short-list.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 21, 2020

He was on the short-list for Democrat Hillary Clinton’s vice-presidential candidate in 2016, while he was likewise reported to be a contender for Republican John McCain’s vice presidential pick in 2008 as well.

From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2018

An adviser to another candidate on the White House short-list, former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, 75, said Kelly is also being persuaded to step out of the running.

From Reuters ● May 16, 2017

Related Words

• waiting list