short-winded
Americanadjective
-
short of breath; liable to difficulty in breathing.
-
brief or concise; to the point, as in speech or writing.
adjective
-
tending to run out of breath, esp after exertion
-
(of speech or writing) terse or abrupt
Etymology
Origin of short-winded
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. and Mrs. Follenvie were dining at the other end of the table, the man, rattling like a broken down locomotive, was too short winded to talk while eating; but the woman never kept silent.
From Mademoiselle Fifi by Maupassant, Guy de
I find Fletcher is short winded and soft.
From Side-stepping with Shorty by Ford, Sewell
About the end of summer found himself short winded, and lost his appetite.
From An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses With Practical Remarks on Dropsy and Other Diseases by Withering, William
I took the rheumatiz in my legs, and got short winded.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Arkansas Narratives, Part 1 by Work Projects Administration
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
