noun
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Etymology
Origin of shortage
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How does shortage compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A shortage is a lack of something, especially a severe lack. A drought is a shortage of water. When there's a shortage, there's not enough of something. If you don't have enough money to pay your bills, you have a shortage of money. A bad football team may have a shortage of good players. This kind of shortage is like a deficit or shortfall. A shortage can also be a severe dearth of something, like a famine, which is a lack of food. If there's a drought because of little rainfall, that's a serious shortage.
Vocabulary lists containing shortage
World War I
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World War II
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Paltry Parlance: Synonyms for "Few"
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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.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile, there is no shortage of films and shows about male sports icons and legendary men’s team.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Lumentum CEO Hurlston, meanwhile, runs a company that benefits the longer the shortage lasts.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
The market would also still need a risk premium for the possibility of a deal failing “relatively quickly,” while not addressing the diesel shortage, he says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Created in the 1970s by a vote of the people, the coastal commission has had to navigate some of the most high-profile and divisive battles in the state and has had no shortage of critics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
As we drive down my street, I begin to think I may have totally underestimated the effect of the water shortage on this community.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
The company indicated that compute shortages would require it to seek third-party cloud solutions to meet demand.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The largest part of the economy grew in July at a robust pace, but scattered shortages of key supplies and dogged inflation raised the cost of doing business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Global oil profits can in large part be tied to refining, since refinery closures due to attacks and crude oil shortages have exacerbated the fuel scarcity, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Brett Gibbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Climate change is expected to bring more severe, frequent and longer-lasting heatwaves in UK summers in the coming years - which could bring more water shortages for farmers.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
In the spring of 2010, as food shortages again became severe, the government launched a massive back-to-the-farm campaign to persuade city dwellers to move to the countryside and raise crops.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
