Ask Difference

Short vs. Small — What's the Difference?

By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on March 9, 2024
Short refers to limited length or duration, focusing on vertical or temporal dimension, while small pertains to limited size or volume, emphasizing overall dimensions.
Short vs. Small — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Short and Small

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Key Differences

Short primarily describes the reduced length of an object or the brief duration of time. For instance, a short ruler might be less than the standard 12 inches, indicating its limited length. On the other hand, small refers to an object's limited overall size, which includes width, height, and sometimes volume. A small ball, for example, would be diminutive in all dimensions, not just length.
In terms of usage, short is often applied to describe the vertical dimension of objects or the length of time. A short person, for instance, has a lesser height compared to the average. Whereas small is used more broadly to describe the reduced scale or size of various objects, such as a small car, which is compact in length, width, and height.
When discussing time, short is specifically used to denote a brief period, such as a short meeting. This usage highlights the duration aspect without implying anything about the physical size of the event or item in question. On the other hand, small cannot be appropriately used in this context as it does not relate to temporal duration.
In literature and figurative language, short can also imply something lacking or insufficient, such as being "short on cash," meaning not having enough money. Whereas small in a similar context might be used to describe the insignificance or minimal impact, such as a "small gesture," which, while meaningful, is limited in scope.
In fashion and physical descriptions, short can describe hairstyles, clothing lengths, and stature, focusing on the vertical measurement or temporal brevity, like short hair or a short skirt. Small, however, is used to describe clothing sizes or the physical stature of someone in a more general sense, considering multiple dimensions rather than just height or length.
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Comparison Chart

Definition

Refers to limited length or duration
Pertains to limited overall size or volume

Common Usage

Used for vertical dimensions and time
Used for overall dimensions including width, height, and volume

Example Context

"A short story" (limited length)
"A small box" (limited in all dimensions)

Temporal Usage

Specific to time duration
Not used for time

Figurative Usage

Can imply insufficiency
Can imply insignificance or minimal impact

Compare with Definitions

Short

Lacking length.
She prefers wearing short skirts.

Small

Limited in size.
They live in a small apartment.

Short

Brief in duration.
We had a short meeting today.

Small

Young or younger.
When I was small, I loved playing outside.

Short

Insufficient in quantity.
He is short on funds this month.

Small

Minor in importance.
It's a small issue, easily fixed.

Short

Less than the usual height.
The short man stood out in the crowd.

Small

Low in volume.
She spoke in a small voice during the presentation.

Short

Abrupt or curt in manner.
Her short response left us puzzled.

Small

Limited in degree.
There's a small chance of rain today.

Short

Measuring a small distance from end to end
Short dark hair
A short flight of steps
The bed was too short for him

Small

Being below average in size
A small car.

Short

Lasting or taking a small amount of time
Visiting London for a short break
A short conversation

Small

Being below average in quantity or extent
A small donation.
A small project.

Short

Relatively small in extent
He wrote a short book
A short speech

Small

Limited in importance or significance; trivial
A small matter.

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).

Small

Having limited position, influence, or status; minor
"A crowd of small writers had vainly attempted to rival Addison" (Thomas Macaulay).

Short

(of a person) terse; uncivil
He was often sharp and rather short with her

Small

Unpretentious; modest
Made a small living.
Helped the cause in my own small way.

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

Small

Not fully grown; very young
A small child.

Short

(of pastry) containing a high proportion of fat to flour and therefore crumbly.

Small

Narrow in outlook; petty
A small mind.

Short

(chiefly in sport) at, to, or over a relatively small distance
You go deep and you go short

Small

Having been belittled; humiliated
Their comments made me feel small.

Short

A drink of spirits served in a small measure.

Small

Diluted; weak. Used of alcoholic beverages.

Short

A short film as opposed to a feature film.

Small

Lacking force or volume
A small voice.

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

Small

Lowercase
Type the password in small letters.

Short

A short circuit.

Small

In small pieces
Cut the meat up small.

Short

A person who sells short.

Small

Without loudness or forcefulness; softly.

Short

A mixture of bran and coarse flour.

Small

In a small manner.

Short

Short-circuit or cause to short-circuit
The electrical circuit had shorted out
If the contact terminals are shorted, the battery quickly overheats

Small

A part that is smaller or narrower than the rest
The small of the back.

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

Small

Small things considered as a group.

Short

Having little length; not long.

Small

Chiefly British Small items of clothing.

Short

Having little height; not tall.

Small

Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
A small serving of ice cream.
A small group.
He made us all feel small.

Short

Extending or traveling not far or not far enough
A short toss.

Small

(figuratively) Young, as a child.
Remember when the children were small?

Short

Lasting a brief time
A short holiday.

Small

Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.

Short

Appearing to pass quickly
Finished the job in a few short months.

Small

Humiliated or insignificant.
The bullies had succeeded in making him feel small.

Short

Not lengthy; succinct
Short and to the point.

Small

Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.

Short

Rudely brief; abrupt
The owner was quite short with the new hire.

Small

Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
A small space of time

Short

Easily provoked; irascible
Has a short temper.

Small

Synonym of little
Small science

Short

Inadequate; insufficient
Oil in short supply.
Were short on experience.

Small

(archaic) Slender, gracefully slim.

Short

Lacking in length or amount
A board that is short two inches.

Small

That is small the manufactured size.
I'll have a small coffee, thanks.

Short

Lacking in breadth or scope
A short view of the problem.

Small

In a small fashion

Short

Deficient in retentiveness
A short memory.

Small

In or into small pieces.

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.

Small

(obsolete) To a small extent.

Short

Of or relating to a short sale
A short position.

Small

(obsolete) In a low tone; softly.

Short

Containing a large amount of shortening; flaky
A short pie crust.

Small

An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
Two smalls and a large, please.

Short

Not ductile; brittle
Short iron.

Small

One who fits an item of that size.

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."

Small

Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.

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.

Small

To make little or less.

Short

Being of relatively brief duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody.

Small

(intransitive) To become small; to dwindle.

Short

(Slang) Close to the end of a tour of military duty.

Small

Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river.
To compareGreat things with small.

Short

Abruptly; quickly
Stop short.

Small

Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant; as, a small fault; a small business.

Short

In a rude or curt manner.

Small

Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; - sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean.
A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.

Short

At a point before a given boundary, limit, or goal
A missile that landed short of the target.

Small

Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space.

Short

At a disadvantage
We were caught short by the sudden storm.

Small

Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud.

Short

By means of a short sale
Selling a commodity short.

Small

In or to small extent, quantity, or degree; little; slightly.

Short

(Linguistics) A short syllable, vowel, or consonant.

Small

Not loudly; faintly; timidly.
You may speak as small as you will.

Short

A brief film; a short subject.

Small

The small or slender part of a thing; as, the small of the leg or of the back.

Short

A size of clothing less long than the average for that size.

Small

Smallclothes.

Short

Shorts Short pants extending to the knee or above.

Small

To make little or less.

Short

Shorts Undershorts.

Small

The slender part of the back

Short

A short sale.

Small

A garment size for a small person

Short

One that sells short.

Small

Limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent;
A little dining room
A little house
A small car
A little (or small) group
A small voice

Short

Shorts A byproduct of wheat processing that consists of germ, bran, and coarse meal or flour.

Small

Limited in size or scope;
A small business
A newspaper with a modest circulation
Small-scale plans
A pocket-size country

Short

Shorts Clippings or trimmings that remain as byproducts in various manufacturing processes, often used to make an inferior variety of the product.

Small

Low or inferior in station or quality;
A humble cottage
A lowly parish priest
A modest man of the people
Small beginnings

Short

A short circuit.

Small

Not fully grown;
What a big little boy you are
Small children

Short

A malfunction caused by a short circuit.

Small

Too small to be seen except under a microscope

Short

(Baseball) A shortstop.

Small

Not large but sufficient in size or amount;
A modest salary
Modest inflation
Helped in my own small way

Short

To cause a short circuit in.

Small

(of a voice) faint;
A little voice
A still small voice

Short

(Informal) To give (one) less than one is entitled to; shortchange.

Small

Made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth);
Her comments made me feel small

Short

To short-sell (a security or index).

Small

Lowercase;
Little a
Small a
E.e.cummings's poetry is written all in minuscule letters

Short

To short-circuit.

Small

Have fine or very small constituent particles;
A small misty rain

Short

Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.

Small

On a small scale;
Think small

Short

(of a person) Of comparatively small height.

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.

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".

Short

That is relatively close to the batsman.

Short

Bowled so that it bounces relatively far from the batsman.

Short

That falls short of the green or the hole.

Short

(gambling) Of betting odds, offering a small return for the money wagered.

Short

Brittle, crumbly. See shortbread, shortcake, shortcrust, shortening, hot short, cold-short.

Short

Abrupt; brief; pointed; petulant.
He gave a short answer to the question.

Short

Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty.
A short supply of provisions

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.

Short

Deficient; less; not coming up to a measure or standard.
An account which is short of the truth

Short

(colloquial) Undiluted; neat.

Short

(obsolete) Not distant in time; near at hand.

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.

Short

(by extension) Doubtful of, skeptical of.

Short

Of money: given in the fewest possible notes, i.e. those of the largest denomination.

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.

Short

Unawares.
The recent developments at work caught them short.

Short

Without achieving a goal or requirement.
His speech fell short of what was expected.

Short

Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.

Short

(finance) With a negative ownership position.
We went short most finance companies in July.

Short

A short circuit.

Short

A short film.

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?

Short

(baseball) A shortstop.
Jones smashes a grounder between third and short.

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

Common Curiosities

Can the term short be used to describe time?

Yes, short can describe a brief period, such as a short break.

Is small used to describe time?

No, small is not used to describe temporal duration.

What does small mean?

Small pertains to something having a limited overall size or volume.

Can a sound be described as short?

Yes, a sound can be described as short if it has a brief duration.

Can food portions be described as short?

No, food portions would be described as small, not short, as it pertains to volume or size.

What does short mean?

Short refers to something having a limited length or duration.

How does short differ from small in physical descriptions?

Short focuses on vertical dimension or length, while small encompasses overall dimensions.

Is it correct to say a 'short box'?

It's less common; 'short' typically describes length, so 'short box' would imply the box is not long, but it might be better to use small if referring to overall size.

How do short and small apply to clothing?

Short refers to the length (like short sleeves), while small refers to the overall size.

What is the difference between a short break and a small break?

A short break refers to the duration being brief, whereas a small break is not a common term and might imply a minor pause without specifically addressing time.

Is a 'short height' the same as 'short stature'?

Yes, both terms describe someone who is less tall than average.

Can a book be described as short and small?

Yes, a book can be short in terms of length (number of pages) and small in physical dimensions.

Can a person be described as short and small?

Yes, short would refer to their height, and small to their overall physique.

Can an event be described as small?

Yes, but it typically refers to the scale or impact of the event, not its duration.

What is the difference between a short journey and a small journey?

A short journey refers to the brief duration or distance, while a small journey might imply a trip of minor significance or limited distance, but it's less commonly used in this context.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza Rafique
Fiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.

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