as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats charged that the used-car dealer had been shorting customers for years
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shorted Still, the trades raised some eyebrows because whoever purchased a large amount of stock futures and sold or shorted crude futures at that moment made a lot of money just minutes later. —
Yun Li, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026 Online and in congressional hearings, Tenev was accused of aiding hedge funds that had shorted GameStop, at amateur traders’ expense. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026 Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses. —Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026 Those who shorted the provocation phase got crushed by the pivot. —Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026 The initial claim from Nebraska was scant on details about how much water is being shorted to Nebraska users. —The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025 Electric telegraph lines across Europe and the Americas shorted out. —Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025 Due to its sharp increase of votes for Tarrant County College, all the other taxing entities were shorted the number of votes they are entitled to, Barnes said. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025 The water shorted his air conditioning unit. —Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Yun Li, CNBC, 23 Mar. 2026 Online and in congressional hearings, Tenev was accused of aiding hedge funds that had shorted GameStop, at amateur traders’ expense. —Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026 Crowley alleged that her department had been shorted money needed to improve fire responses. —Dan Walters, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026 Those who shorted the provocation phase got crushed by the pivot. —Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026 The initial claim from Nebraska was scant on details about how much water is being shorted to Nebraska users. —The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 28 Oct. 2025 Electric telegraph lines across Europe and the Americas shorted out. —Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025 Due to its sharp increase of votes for Tarrant County College, all the other taxing entities were shorted the number of votes they are entitled to, Barnes said. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025 The water shorted his air conditioning unit. —Mario Ariza, ProPublica, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shorted
Verb
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That’s the kind of corporate doublespeak that makes consumers feel cheated and disrespected.— Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
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Schiller is a man who cheated death and whose harrowing ordeal is dramatized by actor Tony Shalhoub in a recent movie.— Troy Roberts, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Beaufort, North Carolina This fishing village with century-old homes, idyllic marinas, and pristine beaches could be plucked from a vintage postcard.— Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2026
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With its cast of characters essentially plucked from Fugard’s early life in Port Elizabeth, the play introduces Hally (a stand-in for Fugard) at a crossroads.— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Sudhir Srivastava, vice president of the Noida Entrepreneurs Association, said manufacturers were being squeezed from multiple directions.— Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 17 Apr. 2026
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Bottom line Private credit’s share of overall financing in the US economy has grown, and when that growth slows or stops, small businesses with few other options get squeezed.— Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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During an interview with The Star on Friday, waiters hustled through the space with plates.— Jenna Thompson April 16, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
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The crowd applauded when Rahm took the bag from Garcia and started carrying it himself as caddie Adam Hayes hustled to catch up to the players.— Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many hospital systems in Connecticut have stopped suing their patients over unpaid bills, stung by criticism about the harm caused by aggressive collection tactics.— Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026
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People have reported severe reactions, including anaphylaxis, after being stung by the ant.— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Semi-screwed There’s a world in which Colby was the most screwed over by the rock draw — because Dee and Emily are friends who already played together, and both were aligned with Cirie — but that world is one in which he was not injured and likely limping out of the game anyway.— Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
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A lot of times, much of a Hollywood memoir is someone saying this person screwed me over, this bad thing happened, and so on.— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Train 98, part of the Silver Meteor route between Miami and New York, was forced to stop near Jacksonville, leaving some passengers stuck onboard for extended periods.— Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
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This is what a supply shortage looks like in practice — not just higher prices, but households stuck in between, unsure which path to pursue.— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shorted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/shorted. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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