shortcut

American  

[shawrt-kuht] / ˈʃɔrtˌkʌt /

noun

• shortcuts
  plural

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.

---

adjective

1. constituting or providing a shorter or quicker way.

   shortcut methods.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• shortcutting
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shortcuts
  plural

Etymology

Origin of shortcut

First recorded in 1560–70; short + cut

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shortcut shortcuts

Buyer beware: There’s no shortcut for getting proper financial advice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Suddenly, the fast track looked, to some, like a shortcut.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

There’s no shortcut for getting proper advice for your specific financial situation.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

What if the producer on your next record says, “Hey, here’s a little shortcut we can use”? We already use little shortcuts — Auto-Tune is one.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

I wanted to take a shortcut through the orchard to the road leading down to the town, but then my foot caught in a root.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

"There are no shortcuts when it comes to a response," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

What if the producer on your next record says, “Hey, here’s a little shortcut we can use”? We already use little shortcuts — Auto-Tune is one.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Experts, however, advise moderation — saying that regular old water and a balanced diet generally suffice against a backdrop of wellness shortcuts and health hacks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

Somewhere along the way, I suppose I, too, absorbed the idea that there were shortcuts worth sharing and shortcuts better left unmentioned.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

And in obtaining it, he took shortcuts and broke some laws, leaving crumbs along the way in hopes of one day turning around and finding his way back to dignity.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez