short of

Idioms  

1. Having an inadequate supply of, as in We're short of cash right now . [Late 1600s] Also see fall short of .

2. Less than, inferior to, as in Nothing short of her best effort was needed to make the team . [Mid-1500s]

3. Other than, without resorting to, as in Short of yelling, I had no other way of getting his attention .

4. See stop short , def. 3.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

short of

Sarries were short of domination - the lead swapped hands four times in the final half hour of a blockbuster - but victory away at Leicester was a fine statement of intent.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Bank of Spain estimates the country of around 50 million people is short of 700,000 homes, based on the gap between demand and new construction.

From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026

But the cheers died down as it fell well short of the 395-foot wall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

If Paramount fell short of its spending commitments, for instance, attorneys general would need to rely on the company’s own data to prove it, Bedoya said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

“It’s nothing,” I say, though I’m still short of breath.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Related Words

• deficient
• faulty
• inadequate
• incomplete
• meager
• poor
• scant
• scarce
• unsatisfactory