short list

or short·list

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR short list ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities.

Nearby words

Origin of short list

First recorded in 1925–30

Definition for shortlist (2 of 2)

short-list

[ shawrt-list ]

/ ˈʃɔrtˌlɪst /

verb (used with object)

to put on a short list.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for shortlist

The Washington Post also mentioned Lynch and former Associate Attorney General Tony West as candidates on the shortlist.
Obama's No-Win Attorney General Decision|Tim Mak|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One example is a design recently named to the shortlist for the 2014 World Architecture Festival awards.
Why Architects Dream Big—and Crazy|Nate Berg|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last week, The Past failed to make the shortlist for the Academy Award for best foreign film, which A Separation won in 2012.
The New Auteur of Iran: Asghar Farhadi Reinvents Domestic Drama With ‘The Past’|Jimmy So|December 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The new pontiff gets the nod over a shortlist that included Edward Snowden, Ted Cruz and Bashar al-Assad.
Pope Francis Is Time’s Man of The Year|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

And last week both Reuters and Business Insider ran articles suggesting that Ferguson was on the shortlist.
Roger Ferguson Is Wall Street’s Fantasy for Federal Reserve Chairman|Daniel Gross|September 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for shortlist

short list

/ mainly British /

noun

a list of suitable applicants for a job, post, etc, from which the successful candidate will be selected

verb short-list (tr)

to put (someone) on a short list

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

Word Origin and History for shortlist

shortlist

"to place (someone) on the 'short list' " for advancement or preferment, 1955, from short list (n.) in this sense, which is attested by 1927.