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

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

From Literature

“See you in PE,” he calls, taking the shortcut to the MP room.

From Literature

It can’t openly get the cutting-edge chips that U.S. companies have, but it’s working on homegrown alternatives and other shortcuts.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Training takes time. You cannot shortcut five years of experience into six months. That is the single biggest bottleneck," Panicker says.

From BBC

Additionally, as a lawyer he refused to take shortcuts that compromised legal processes.

From The Wall Street Journal