shortcut

American  

[shawrt-kuht] / ˈʃɔrtˌkʌt /

noun

1. a shorter or quicker way.

2. a method, procedure, policy, etc., that reduces the time or energy needed to accomplish something.

3. Computers.

   1. a link to a software application, file, or website, usually represented as a graphical icon that can be clicked on to quickly access or open it.

      You can create a desktop shortcut to a web page you've visited.

   2. Also called keyboard shortcut.  hotkey.

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adjective

1. constituting or providing a shorter or quicker way.

   shortcut methods.

Etymology

Origin of shortcut

First recorded in 1560–70; short + cut

Example Sentences

Some think they may have found a shortcut: Buy a bank.

From The Wall Street Journal

But that was the summer I realized shortcuts weren’t a moral failure.

From Salon

Frozen food, in this context, isn’t just a shortcut.

From Salon

Critics warn that AI tools, by providing a shortcut for high-stakes decision-making, amplifies unethical or oppressive practices that may already be rampant.

From Salon

She won’t even let me take a shortcut through her orchard.

From Literature