Idioms are expressions that add flavor and color to everyday conversations. They help us say more with fewer words and often carry meanings that go beyond their literal definitions. When it comes to describing something short, whether it’s about time, size, height, or attention span, the English language offers plenty of idiomatic gems to explore.
Learning idioms related to being short can boost your vocabulary, sharpen your speaking skills, and help you better understand casual conversations, books, and movies. These idioms can describe brief moments, short people, quick tempers, and even fleeting attention spans. Whether you’re talking about a short visit, a brief temper, or someone who’s not very tall, there’s probably an idiom for it!
In this post, you’ll find 45 idioms that relate to the idea of being short—along with their meanings, example sentences, and other ways to say them. Ready to make your language a little snappier? Let’s jump into the list!
Idioms for Short
1. In a nutshell
Meaning: In a very brief way; summarized clearly and quickly.
In a Sentence: He explained the rules in a nutshell so everyone could understand without wasting time.
Other Ways to Say: In short, Briefly, To summarize
2. Short and sweet
Meaning: Pleasantly brief and to the point.
In a Sentence: Her farewell speech was short and sweet, but it touched everyone’s hearts.
Other Ways to Say: Concise and kind, Brief but nice
3. At short notice
Meaning: With very little warning or time to prepare.
In a Sentence: We had to cancel our vacation plans at short notice due to a family emergency.
Other Ways to Say: On short notice, With little time
4. Cut it short
Meaning: To stop something earlier than planned.
In a Sentence: We had to cut our picnic short because it started raining heavily.
Other Ways to Say: End early, Wrap up quickly
5. Short fuse
Meaning: A quick temper; someone who gets angry easily.
In a Sentence: My brother has a short fuse, so you need to be careful when teasing him.
Other Ways to Say: Easily angered, Hot-tempered
6. A short leash
Meaning: Strict control or close supervision.
In a Sentence: Ever since he missed curfew, his parents have kept him on a short leash.
Other Ways to Say: Tightly controlled, Closely watched
7. In short supply
Meaning: Not enough of something available.
In a Sentence: During the storm, bottled water and batteries were in short supply at the store.
Other Ways to Say: Scarce, Running low
8. Nothing short of
Meaning: Used to emphasize that something is exactly or almost exactly what is described.
In a Sentence: The mountain view at sunrise was nothing short of breathtaking.
Other Ways to Say: Absolutely, Truly
9. A short straw
Meaning: A situation where someone ends up with the worst outcome by chance.
In a Sentence: I drew the short straw and had to clean the entire garage by myself.
Other Ways to Say: Got the bad luck, Unlucky pick
10. Short end of the stick
Meaning: Getting the worst part of a deal or situation.
In a Sentence: She got the short end of the stick when her team took credit for her work.
Other Ways to Say: Treated unfairly, Got the worst deal
11. Run short of
Meaning: To have less of something than you need.
In a Sentence: We ran short of snacks during the movie night, so we had to order more.
Other Ways to Say: Run out of, Not have enough
12. Short on time
Meaning: Not having much time to do something.
In a Sentence: I’m short on time this morning, so I’ll call you back later.
Other Ways to Say: Pressed for time, In a hurry
13. A short stack
Meaning: A small or low amount, often used to describe a small serving.
In a Sentence: I ordered a short stack of pancakes because I wasn’t too hungry.
Other Ways to Say: Small portion, Light serving
14. Make short work of
Meaning: To finish something quickly and easily.
In a Sentence: They made short work of the clean-up after the party.
Other Ways to Say: Finish quickly, Get it done fast
15. A short memory
Meaning: A tendency to forget things quickly.
In a Sentence: He has such a short memory, he forgot my birthday two years in a row.
Other Ways to Say: Forgetful, Doesn’t remember much
16. Fall short
Meaning: To fail to reach a goal or expectation.
In a Sentence: Although we tried hard, our team fell short of winning the championship.
Other Ways to Say: Miss the mark, Didn’t succeed
17. A short list
Meaning: A small group of final choices or candidates.
In a Sentence: She made it to the short list for the scholarship interview.
Other Ways to Say: Finalists, Narrowed-down group
18. Short-lived
Meaning: Lasting only a short amount of time.
In a Sentence: Their excitement about the snow day was short-lived when school reopened the next day.
Other Ways to Say: Temporary, Brief
19. Draw the short straw
Meaning: To be chosen for something undesirable or unlucky.
In a Sentence: He drew the short straw and had to present first in class.
Other Ways to Say: Got the bad task, Chosen by bad luck
20. Short shrift
Meaning: Little attention or care given to something.
In a Sentence: The teacher gave short shrift to students who didn’t follow the rules.
Other Ways to Say: Ignored, Brushed off
21. Come up short
Meaning: To not achieve the desired result or full amount.
In a Sentence: We came up short by just one goal in the final match.
Other Ways to Say: Didn’t win, Fell behind
22. A short stack (poker slang)
Meaning: Having fewer chips than others in a game.
In a Sentence: Even with a short stack, she played her cards smart and made it to the final round.
Other Ways to Say: Low on chips, Playing from behind
23. Short change
Meaning: To treat someone unfairly or give them less than they deserve.
In a Sentence: The cashier short-changed me by five dollars, and I didn’t realize it until I got home.
Other Ways to Say: Cheat, Underpay
24. Short order
Meaning: Something prepared or done quickly, especially in cooking.
In a Sentence: The diner is known for making great burgers in short order.
Other Ways to Say: Quickly made, Fast service
25. A hop, skip, and a jump
Meaning: A very short distance away.
In a Sentence: The park is just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house.
Other Ways to Say: Very close, Right nearby
26. Short-handed
Meaning: Lacking enough people to do a job or task.
In a Sentence: We were short-handed at the café today, so everyone had to multitask.
Other Ways to Say: Understaffed, Not enough help
27. Short notice
Meaning: An announcement or warning given only a little time in advance.
In a Sentence: They told us about the meeting on such short notice that I barely made it.
Other Ways to Say: Last-minute, Without much warning
28. Short sighted
Meaning: Not thinking about the future; lacking foresight.
In a Sentence: Cancelling art programs was a short-sighted decision that hurt student creativity.
Other Ways to Say: Not future-focused, Shortsighted
29. In short
Meaning: Used to summarize something briefly.
In a Sentence: In short, we need more time and resources to finish the project.
Other Ways to Say: To sum up, Basically
30. Short of breath
Meaning: Having difficulty breathing or feeling out of breath.
In a Sentence: After running up the stairs, I felt completely short of breath.
Other Ways to Say: Out of breath, Breathing hard
31. A short temper
Meaning: A tendency to get angry quickly.
In a Sentence: He’s known for his short temper, so people try not to upset him.
Other Ways to Say: Easily irritated, Quick to anger
32. Short story
Meaning: A quick version of a longer explanation or tale.
In a Sentence: To give you the short story, we missed our flight and had to reschedule everything.
Other Ways to Say: Summary, The quick version
33. Stop short
Meaning: To suddenly stop or decide not to continue.
In a Sentence: She stopped short of saying something rude when she realized others were listening.
Other Ways to Say: Halt, Hold back
34. A short stack (height-related)
Meaning: A playful way to refer to someone who is not very tall.
In a Sentence: As the shortest kid in class, I was often called the short stack—but I wore it with pride.
Other Ways to Say: Little one, Not very tall
35. A short walk off a long pier
Meaning: A humorous or sarcastic way of telling someone to go away.
In a Sentence: He annoyed her so much that she told him to take a short walk off a long pier.
Other Ways to Say: Go away, Buzz off
36. Short attention span
Meaning: Difficulty focusing on something for a long time.
In a Sentence: With his short attention span, he switched hobbies every other week.
Other Ways to Say: Easily distracted, Can’t focus long
37. Come up a bit short
Meaning: To nearly succeed but not quite make it.
In a Sentence: The team played well but came up a bit short in the final minutes.
Other Ways to Say: Almost made it, Fell just shy
38. Short run
Meaning: A brief period or temporary situation.
In a Sentence: The show had a short run on Broadway but received great reviews.
Other Ways to Say: Brief period, Limited time
39. Short on patience
Meaning: Easily frustrated or annoyed.
In a Sentence: I’m short on patience today, so let’s keep things simple.
Other Ways to Say: Easily irritated, Not in the mood
40. Short odds
Meaning: A high chance or likelihood of something happening.
In a Sentence: There were short odds that it would rain, so we brought umbrellas just in case.
Other Ways to Say: Likely, High probability
41. In a short span of time
Meaning: Happening within a small amount of time.
In a Sentence: She learned to play three songs on the piano in a short span of time.
Other Ways to Say: Quickly, Rapidly
42. Short stack of nerves
Meaning: Feeling anxious or easily overwhelmed (playfully phrased).
In a Sentence: Before my first speech, I was a short stack of nerves and barely slept the night before.
Other Ways to Say: Nervous wreck, Full of anxiety
43. On the short side
Meaning: Slightly below average in size or amount.
In a Sentence: That essay is on the short side—you might want to add more examples.
Other Ways to Say: A bit too short, Needs more length
44. A short hop
Meaning: A very brief trip or journey.
In a Sentence: It’s just a short hop from our place to the grocery store.
Other Ways to Say: Quick trip, Short distance
45. Fall short of expectations
Meaning: To not meet the level of success or quality that was expected.
In a Sentence: The sequel fell short of expectations and didn’t impress longtime fans.
Other Ways to Say: Disappoint, Didn’t meet the mark
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- I didn’t expect the party to end early, but we had to cut it ______ because of the weather.
- We’re short on ______, so let’s get straight to the point.
- She gave a great explanation, all wrapped up in a ______.
- We’ll have to cancel the picnic if we run short of ______.
- I forgot what I was saying again—must be my short ______ acting up.
- He has a short ______, so don’t tease him too much.
- They were in short ______ after the power outage.
- That movie had a short ______, but it was still worth watching.
- My little cousin is a bit on the short ______, but she’s full of energy.
- You made the short ______ for the final round—congrats!
- His patience wore thin because he was short on ______.
- We had to act fast because they gave us very short ______.
Answers:
cut it short, short on time, in a nutshell, short of snacks, short memory, short fuse, in short supply, short run, short side, short list, short on patience, short notice
Conclusion
Idioms that focus on the idea of being “short” can be playful, insightful, or even a little sarcastic—but they’re always useful for making your speech and writing more engaging. Whether you’re describing time, attention, height, or emotion, these expressions help paint vivid pictures with just a few words.
By learning these 45 idioms for “short,” you’re expanding your ability to understand others, express yourself clearly, and have more fun with the English language. Try using a few of them in conversations, stories, or social media posts to see how naturally they can fit into everyday communication.
Language is always evolving, but idioms are timeless treasures—short in form, but big in impact.
