short of

1. See stop short , def. 3.

2. Having an inadequate supply of, as in We're short of cash right now . [Late 1600s] Also see fall short of .

3. Less than, inferior to, as in Nothing short of her best effort was needed to make the team . [Mid-1500s]

4. Other than, without resorting to, as in Short of yelling, I had no other way of getting his attention .

Example Sentences

The government has stopped short of banning smartphones in schools but has issued guidance to ensure that all schools implement effective smartphone-free restrictions.

From BBC

According to a recent study published in The Journal of Nutrition, over 90% of pregnant individuals are potentially failing to get enough iron, vitamin D, or vitamin E from the food they eat, while over one-third could be short of calcium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Troublingly, almost two-thirds of pregnant people were also found to be getting insufficient dietary folate -- a critical nutrient that helps prevent birth defects in the baby's brain and spine.

From Science Daily

Although Sarwar has said the UK Labour government’s new criteria is too restrictive, he has stopped short of backing SNP calls for a UK government U-turn.

From BBC

The excellent Raffaele Storti went over for Portugal's third try just short of the hour after Scotland's awful line-out malfunctioned again.

From BBC

He was hauled down short of the line but in the next phases Bhatti powered over to make it a 31-point game.

From BBC

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