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definitions

short-winded

[shawrt-win-did]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR short-winded ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

short of breath; liable to difficulty in breathing.
brief or concise; to the point, as in speech or writing.

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RELATED WORDS

heaving, gasping, blown, exhausted, panting, spent, winded, asthmatic, choking, emphysematous, stertorous, breathless, dyspneic

Origin of short-winded

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for short-winded

Historical Examples of short-winded

  • "He aer a plaguey feller, he's that short-winded," grumbled Bill.

    Indian and Scout

    F. S. Brereton

  • He was fat and short-winded and would suffer from the effort of laying on the blows.

    The Unwilling Vestal

    Edward Lucas White

  • The heart is affected; boys become "short-winded" as a result of the action on the heart.

    A Civic Biology

    George William Hunter

  • Then they are like a short-winded boy, and do not do their work well.

    Applied Physiology

    Frank Overton

  • His imagination is short-winded, dry, and apt to lose itself in speculation.

    The Real Gladstone

    J. Ewing Ritchie

British Dictionary definitions for short-winded

short-winded

adjective

tending to run out of breath, esp after exertion
(of speech or writing) terse or abrupt
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for short-winded

short-winded

adj.

Breathing with quick, labored breaths.
Likely to have difficulty in breathing, especially from exertion.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.