Long vs. Short — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Long and Short
ADVERTISEMENT
Compare with Definitions
Long
Extending or traveling a relatively great distance.
Short
Measuring a small distance from end to end
Short dark hair
A short flight of steps
The bed was too short for him
Long
Having relatively great height; tall.
Short
Lasting or taking a small amount of time
Visiting London for a short break
A short conversation
Long
Having the greater length of two or the greatest length of several
The long edge of the door.
ADVERTISEMENT
Short
Relatively small in extent
He wrote a short book
A short speech
Long
Of relatively great duration
A long time.
Short
(of a vowel) categorized as short with regard to quality and length (e.g. in standard British English the vowel /ʊ/ in good is short as distinct from the long vowel /uː/ in food).
Long
Of a specified linear extent or duration
A mile long.
An hour long.
Short
(of a person) terse; uncivil
He was often sharp and rather short with her
Long
Made up of many members or items
A long shopping list.
Short
(of odds or a chance) reflecting or representing a high level of probability
They have been backed at short odds to win thousands of pounds
Long
Extending beyond an average or standard
A long game.
Short
(of pastry) containing a high proportion of fat to flour and therefore crumbly.
Long
Extending or landing beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal
Her first serve was long.
Short
(chiefly in sport) at, to, or over a relatively small distance
You go deep and you go short
Long
Tediously protracted; lengthy
A long speech.
Short
A drink of spirits served in a small measure.
Long
Concerned with distant issues; far-reaching
Took a long view of the geopolitical issues.
Short
A short film as opposed to a feature film.
Long
Involving substantial chance; risky
Long odds.
Short
A short sound such as a short signal in Morse code or a short vowel or syllable
Her call was two longs and a short
Long
Having an abundance or excess of
"politicians whose résumés are long on competence" (Margaret Garrard Warner).
Short
A short circuit.
Long
Having a holding of a commodity or security in expectation of a rise in price
Long on soybeans.
Short
A person who sells short.
Long
(Linguistics) Having a comparatively great duration. Used of a vowel or consonant.
Short
A mixture of bran and coarse flour.
Long
(Grammar) Relating to or being the English speech sounds (ā, ē, ī, ō, ) that are tense vowels or diphthongs.
Short
Short-circuit or cause to short-circuit
The electrical circuit had shorted out
If the contact terminals are shorted, the battery quickly overheats
Long
Being of relatively great duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody.
Short
Sell (stocks or other securities or commodities) in advance of acquiring them, with the aim of making a profit when the price falls
The rule prevents sellers from shorting a stock unless the last trade resulted in a price increase
Long
During or for an extended period of time
The promotion was long due.
Short
Having little length; not long.
Long
At or to a considerable distance; far
She walked long past the end of the trail.
Short
Having little height; not tall.
Long
Beyond a given boundary, limit, or goal
Hit the return long.
Short
Extending or traveling not far or not far enough
A short toss.
Long
For or throughout a specified period
They talked all night long.
Short
Lasting a brief time
A short holiday.
Long
At a point of time distant from that referred to
That event took place long before we were born.
Short
Appearing to pass quickly
Finished the job in a few short months.
Long
Into or in a long position, as of a commodity market.
Short
Not lengthy; succinct
Short and to the point.
Long
A long time
This won't take long.
Short
Rudely brief; abrupt
The owner was quite short with the new hire.
Long
(Linguistics) A long syllable, vowel, or consonant.
Short
Easily provoked; irascible
Has a short temper.
Long
One who acquires holdings in a security or commodity in expectation of a rise in price.
Short
Inadequate; insufficient
Oil in short supply.
Were short on experience.
Long
A garment size for a tall person.
Short
Lacking in length or amount
A board that is short two inches.
Long
Longs Trousers extending to the feet or ankles.
Short
Lacking in breadth or scope
A short view of the problem.
Long
To have an earnest, heartfelt desire, especially for something beyond reach.
Short
Deficient in retentiveness
A short memory.
Long
Having much distance from one terminating point on an object or an area to another terminating point usually applies to horizontal dimensions; see Usage Notes below.
It's a long way from the Earth to the Moon.
How long was your newborn baby?
Short
Holding a trading position that is inversely related to the price of a security or index
Short investors.
An investor who is short gold.
Long
Having great duration.
The pyramids of Egypt have been around for a long time.
Short
Of or relating to a short sale
A short position.
Long
Seemingly lasting a lot of time, because it is boring or tedious or tiring.
Short
Containing a large amount of shortening; flaky
A short pie crust.
Long
Not short; tall.
Short
Not ductile; brittle
Short iron.
Long
(finance) Possessing or owning stocks, bonds, commodities or other financial instruments with the aim of benefiting of the expected rise in their value.
I'm long in DuPont.
I have a long position in DuPont.
Short
(Linguistics) Of, relating to, or being a speech sound of relatively brief duration, as the first vowel sound in the Latin word mălus, "evil," as compared with the same or a similar sound of relatively long duration, as the first vowel sound in the Latin word mālus, "apple tree."
Long
(cricket) Of a fielding position, close to the boundary (or closer to the boundary than the equivalent short position).
Short
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being a vowel sound in English, such as the vowel sound (ă) in pat or () in put, that is descended from a vowel of brief duration.
Long
Landing beyond the baseline, and therefore deemed to be out.
That forehand is long.
Short
Being of relatively brief duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody.
Long
(gambling) Of betting odds, offering a very large return for a small wager.
Short
(Slang) Close to the end of a tour of military duty.
Long
Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
Short
Abruptly; quickly
Stop short.
Long
(archaic) On account of, because of.
Short
In a rude or curt manner.
Long
(linguistics) A long vowel.
Short
At a point before a given boundary, limit, or goal
A missile that landed short of the target.
Long
(prosody) A long syllable.
Short
At a disadvantage
We were caught short by the sudden storm.
Long
(music) A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
Short
By means of a short sale
Selling a commodity short.
Long
(programming) A long integer variable, twice the size of an int, two or four times the size of a short, and half of a long long.
A long is typically 64 bits in a 32-bit environment.
Short
(Linguistics) A short syllable, vowel, or consonant.
Long
(finance) An entity with a long position in an asset.
Every uptick made the longs cheer.
Short
A brief film; a short subject.
Long
(finance) A long-term investment.
Short
A size of clothing less long than the average for that size.
Long
The long summer vacation at the English universities.
Short
Shorts Short pants extending to the knee or above.
Long
Longitude
Short
Shorts Undershorts.
Long
To take a long position in.
Short
A short sale.
Long
(intransitive) To await, aspire, desire greatly (something to occur or to be true).
She longed for him to come back.
Short
One that sells short.
Long
(archaic) To be appropriate to, to pertain or belong to.
Short
Shorts A byproduct of wheat processing that consists of germ, bran, and coarse meal or flour.
Long
(obsolete) To belong.
Short
Shorts Clippings or trimmings that remain as byproducts in various manufacturing processes, often used to make an inferior variety of the product.
Long
Over a great distance in space.
He threw the ball long.
Short
A short circuit.
Long
For a particular duration.
How long is it until the next bus arrives?
Short
A malfunction caused by a short circuit.
Long
For a long duration.
Will this interview take long?
Paris has long been considered one of the most cultured cities in the world.
She has known us as long as you
I haven't long to live.
Short
(Baseball) A shortstop.
Long
Drawn out in a line, or in the direction of length; protracted; extended; as, a long line; - opposed to short, and distinguished from broad or wide.
Short
To cause a short circuit in.
Long
Drawn out or extended in time; continued through a considerable tine, or to a great length; as, a long series of events; a long debate; a long drama; a long history; a long book.
Short
(Informal) To give (one) less than one is entitled to; shortchange.
Long
Slow in passing; causing weariness by length or duration; lingering; as, long hours of watching.
Short
To short-sell (a security or index).
Long
Occurring or coming after an extended interval; distant in time; far away.
The we may us reserve both fresh and strongAgainst the tournament, which is not long.
Short
To short-circuit.
Long
Having a length of the specified measure; of a specified length; as, a span long; a yard long; a mile long, that is, extended to the measure of a mile, etc.
Short
Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.
Long
Far-reaching; extensive.
Short
(of a person) Of comparatively small height.
Long
Having a supply of stocks or goods; prepared for, or depending for a profit upon, advance in prices; as, long of cotton. Hence, the phrases: to be, or go, long of the market, to be on the long side of the market, to hold products or securities for a rise in price, esp. when bought on a margin. Contrasted to short.
Short
Having little duration.
Our meeting was a short six minutes today. Every day for the past month it’s been at least twenty minutes long.
Long
A note formerly used in music, one half the length of a large, twice that of a breve.
Short
(followed by for) Of a word or phrase, constituting an abbreviation (for another) or shortened form (of another).
"Phone" is short for "telephone" and "asap" short for "as soon as possible".
Long
A long sound, syllable, or vowel.
Short
That is relatively close to the batsman.
Long
The longest dimension; the greatest extent; - in the phrase, the long and the short of it, that is, the sum and substance of it.
Short
Bowled so that it bounces relatively far from the batsman.
Long
To a great extent in space; as, a long drawn out line.
Short
That falls short of the green or the hole.
Long
To a great extent in time; during a long time.
They that tarry long at the wine.
When the trumpet soundeth long.
Short
(gambling) Of betting odds, offering a small return for the money wagered.
Long
At a point of duration far distant, either prior or posterior; as, not long before; not long after; long before the foundation of Rome; long after the Conquest.
Short
Brittle, crumbly. See shortbread, shortcake, shortcrust, shortening, hot short, cold-short.
Long
Through the whole extent or duration.
The bird of dawning singeth all night long.
Short
Abrupt; brief; pointed; petulant.
He gave a short answer to the question.
Long
Through an extent of time, more or less; - only in question; as, how long will you be gone?
Short
Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty.
A short supply of provisions
Long
By means of; by the fault of; because of.
Short
Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied, especially with money; scantily furnished; lacking.
To be short of money
I'd lend you the cash but I'm a little short at present.
The cashier came up short ten dollars on his morning shift.
Long
To feel a strong or morbid desire or craving; to wish for something with eagerness; - followed by an infinitive, or by for or after.
I long to see you.
I have longed after thy precepts.
I have longed for thy salvation.
Nicomedes, longing for herrings, was supplied with fresh ones . . . at a great distance from the sea.
Short
Deficient; less; not coming up to a measure or standard.
An account which is short of the truth
Long
To belong; - used with to, unto, or for.
The labor which that longeth unto me.
Short
(colloquial) Undiluted; neat.
Long
A comparatively long time;
This won't take long
They haven't been gone long
Short
(obsolete) Not distant in time; near at hand.
Long
Desire strongly or persistently
Short
(finance) Being in a financial investment position that is structured to be profitable if the price of the underlying security declines in the future.
Short position
I'm short in General Motors because I think their sales are plunging.
Long
Primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified;
A long life
A long boring speech
A long time
A long friendship
A long game
Long ago
An hour long
Short
(by extension) Doubtful of, skeptical of.
Long
Primarily spatial sense; of relatively great or greater than average spatial extension or extension as specified;
A long road
A long distance
Contained many long words
Ten miles long
Short
Of money: given in the fewest possible notes, i.e. those of the largest denomination.
Long
Of relatively great height;
A race of long gaunt men
Looked out the long French windows
Short
Abruptly, curtly, briefly.
They had to stop short to avoid hitting the dog in the street.
He cut me short repeatedly in the meeting.
The boss got a message and cut the meeting short.
Long
Holding securities or commodities in expectation of a rise in prices;
Is long on coffee
A long position in gold
Short
Unawares.
The recent developments at work caught them short.
Long
Of speech sounds (especially vowels) of relatively long duration (as e.g. the English vowel sounds in `bate', `beat', `bite', `boat', `boot')
Short
Without achieving a goal or requirement.
His speech fell short of what was expected.
Long
Used of syllables that are unaccented or of relatively long duration
Short
Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.
Long
Involving substantial risk;
Long odds
Short
(finance) With a negative ownership position.
We went short most finance companies in July.
Long
(of memory) having greater than average range;
A long memory especially for insults
A tenacious memory
Short
A short circuit.
Long
Planning prudently for the future;
Large goals that required farsighted policies
Took a long view of the geopolitical issues
Short
A short film.
Long
Having or being more than normal or necessary:
Long on brains
In long supply
Short
A short version of a garment in a particular size.
38 short suits fit me right off the rack.
Do you have that size in a short?
Long
For an extended time or at a distant time;
A promotion long overdue
Something long hoped for
His name has long been forgotten
Talked all night long
How long will you be gone?
Arrived long before he was expected
It is long after your bedtime
Short
(baseball) A shortstop.
Jones smashes a grounder between third and short.
Long
For an extended distance
Short
(finance) A short seller.
The market decline was terrible, but the shorts were buying champagne.
Short
(finance) A short sale or short position.
He closed out his short at a modest loss after three months.
Short
A summary account.
Short
(phonetics) A short sound, syllable, or vowel.
Short
(programming) An integer variable having a smaller range than normal integers; usually two bytes long.
Short
An automobile; especially in crack shorts, to break into automobiles.
Short
(transitive) To cause a short circuit in (something).
Short
To short circuit.
Short
(transitive) To shortchange.
Short
To provide with a smaller than agreed or labeled amount.
This is the third time I’ve caught them shorting us.
Short
To sell something, especially securities, that one does not own at the moment for delivery at a later date in hopes of profiting from a decline in the price; to sell short.
Short
(obsolete) To shorten.
Short
Deficient in.
We are short a few men on the second shift.
He's short common sense.
Short
(finance) Having a negative position in.
I don’t want to be short the market going into the weekend.
Short
Not long; having brief length or linear extension; as, a short distance; a short piece of timber; a short flight.
The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it.
Short
Not extended in time; having very limited duration; not protracted; as, short breath.
The life so short, the craft so long to learn.
To short absense I could yield.
Short
Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty; as, a short supply of provisions, or of water.
Short
Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied; scantily furnished; lacking; not coming up to a resonable, or the ordinary, standard; - usually with of; as, to be short of money.
We shall be short in our provision.
Short
Deficient; defective; imperfect; not coming up, as to a measure or standard; as, an account which is short of the trith.
Short
Not distant in time; near at hand.
Marinell was sore offendedThat his departure thence should be so short.
He commanded those who were appointed to attend him to be ready by a short day.
Short
Limited in intellectual power or grasp; not comprehensive; narrow; not tenacious, as memory.
Their own short understandings reachNo farther than the present.
Short
Less important, efficaceous, or powerful; not equal or equivalent; less (than); - with of.
Hardly anything short of an invasion could rouse them again to war.
Short
Abrupt; brief; pointed; petulant; as, he gave a short answer to the question.
Short
Breaking or crumbling readily in the mouth; crisp; as, short pastry.
Short
Brittle.
Short
Not prolonged, or relatively less prolonged, in utterance; - opposed to long, and applied to vowels or to syllables. In English, the long and short of the same letter are not, in most cases, the long and short of the same sound; thus, the i in ill is the short sound, not of i in isle, but of ee in eel, and the e in pet is the short sound of a in pate, etc. See Quantity, and Guide to Pronunciation, 22, 30.
Short
A summary account.
The short and the long is, our play is preferred.
Short
The part of milled grain sifted out which is next finer than the bran.
The first remove above bran is shorts.
Short
Short, inferior hemp.
Short
Breeches; shortclothes.
Short
A short sound, syllable, or vowel.
If we compare the nearest conventional shorts and longs in English, as in "bit" and "beat," "not" and "naught," we find that the short vowels are generally wide, the long narrow, besides being generally diphthongic as well. Hence, originally short vowels can be lengthened and yet kept quite distinct from the original longs.
Short
In a short manner; briefly; limitedly; abruptly; quickly; as, to stop short in one's course; to turn short.
He was taken up very short, and adjudged corrigible for such presumptuous language.
Short
To shorten.
Short
To fail; to decrease.
Short
The location on a baseball field where the shortstop is stationed
Short
Accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
Short
The fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between 2nd and 3rd base
Short
Cheat someone by not returning him enough money
Short
Create a short-circuit in
Short
Primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration;
A short life
A short flight
A short holiday
A short story
Only a few short months
Short
Primarily spatial sense; having little length or lacking in length;
Short skirts
Short hair
The board was a foot short
A short toss
Short
Low in stature; not tall;
His was short and stocky
Short in stature
A short smokestack
Short
Not sufficient to meet a need;
An inadequate income
A poor salary
Money is short
On short rations
Food is in short supply
Short on experience
Short
Not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices;
A short sale
Short in cotton
Short
Of speech sounds (especially vowels) of relatively short duration (as e.g. the English vowel sounds in `pat', `pet', `pit', `pot', putt')
Short
Containing a large amount of shortening; therefore tender and easy to crumble or break into flakes;
Shortbread is a short crumbly cookie
A short flaky pie crust
Short
Less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so;
A light pound
A scant cup of sugar
Regularly gives short weight
Short
Used of syllables that are unaccented or of relatively brief duration
Short
(of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range;
A short memory
Short
Lacking foresight or scope;
A short view of the problem
Shortsighted policies
Shortsighted critics derided the plan
Myopic thinking
Short
Unwilling to endure;
She was short with the slower students
Short
Quickly aroused to anger;
A hotheaded commander
Short
Most direct;
Took the shortest and most direct route to town
Short
Marked by rude or peremptory shortness;
Try to cultivate a less brusque manner
A curt reply
The salesgirl was very short with him
Short
Quickly and without warning;
He stopped suddenly
Short
Without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold;
He made his fortune by selling short just before the crash
Short
Clean across;
The car's axle snapped short
Short
At some point or distance before a goal is reached;
He fell short of our expectations
Short
So as to interrupt;
She took him up short before he could continue
Short
At a disadvantage;
I was caught short
Short
Tightly;
She caught him up short on his lapel
Short
In a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner;
He told me curtly to get on with it
He talked short with everyone
He said shortly that he didn't like it
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Floriculturist vs. FloristNext Comparison
Counterpane vs. Bedspread