noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea, such as 'short'
adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun, such as 'short'
preposition a word or phrase that connects a noun or pronoun to a verb or adjective in a sentence, such as 'short of'
Short of an ingredient means not having enough of a specific ingredient for a recipe.
Short of materials means lacking the necessary supplies or resources for a project.
Short of cash means lacking sufficient money or funds.
Short of time means not having enough time to complete a task or assignment.
Short of breath means having difficulty breathing or not being able to take in enough air.
Short of a goal means narrowly missing or falling just shy of achieving a goal.
Short of fuel means running low or running out of fuel for a vehicle.
In a professional context, 'short of' can be used by a writer to express that something is almost but not quite reaching a certain level or expectation. For example, 'The company's revenue fell just short of their quarterly target.'
Psychologists may use 'short of' to describe a client's progress or behavior that is close to achieving a goal but not quite there. For instance, 'The patient's anxiety levels are still short of being manageable.'
A marketing manager might use 'short of' to indicate that a campaign or strategy is falling slightly below the desired outcome. For example, 'Our social media engagement is just short of our projected numbers.'
In finance, 'short of' can be used to describe a situation where a stock or asset is close to a certain price but does not quite reach it. For instance, 'The stock price is just short of hitting a new all-time high.'
Engineers may use 'short of' to convey that a project or design is almost meeting specifications but is not quite there yet. For example, 'The prototype is short of the required performance metrics.'