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 /

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

Etymology

Origin of short list

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

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

From Salon

Her recipe only calls for a short list of ingredients that also happen to be pantry staples.

From Salon

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

“It also had to be somebody that has the chops of a serious technical actor. That is a very short list.”

From Los Angeles Times

Scott Jacoby of “That Certain Summer” and Anthony Murphy of “Tom Brown’s School Days,” who both won in 1973 at 16 and 17, respectively, round out the short list.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• waiting list