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shortage
[ shawr-tij ]
/ ˈʃɔr tɪdʒ /
See the most commonly confused word associated with scarcity
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noun
a deficiency in quantity: a shortage of cash.
the amount of such deficiency.
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OTHER WORDS FROM shortage
pre·short·age, nounWords nearby shortage
shoring, shorn, short, short account, short-acting, shortage, short and sweet, short ballot, short bill, short-billed marsh wren, shortboard
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shortage in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for shortage
shortage
/ (ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ) /
noun
a deficiency or lack in the amount needed, expected, or due; deficit
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
Cultural definitions for shortage
shortage
A condition that exists when demand exceeds supply because of a lack of equilibrium in a market. If a price is artificially low, buyers want to buy more of a good than sellers are willing to sell. (Compare surplus.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.