Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
Nearby Entries
shortage - 4 dictionary results

short⋅age

  [shawr-tij]
Use shortage in a Sentence
–noun
1. a deficiency in quantity: a shortage of cash.
2. the amount of such deficiency.
Origin:
1865–70; short + -age

Synonyms:
1. lack, want, scarcity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To shortage
short·age   (shôr'tĭj)   
n.  A deficiency in amount; an insufficiency.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Shortage

Short"age\, n. Amount or extent of deficiency, as determined by some requirement or standard; as, a shortage in money accounts.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : shortage
Spanish: falta, escasez,
German: die Knappheit,
Japanese: 不足
More Translations »

shortage

A condition that exists when demand exceeds supply because of a lack of equilibrium in a market. If a price is artificially low, buyers want to buy more of a good than sellers are willing to sell. (Compare surplus.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see shortage on Thesaurus | Reference