shortcut

[ shawrt-kuht ]

See synonyms for shortcut on Thesaurus.com

noun

a shorter or quicker way.
a method, procedure, policy, etc., that reduces the time or energy needed to accomplish something.

Computers.
- a link to a software application, file, or website, usually represented as a graphical icon that can be clicked on to quickly access or open it: You can create a desktop shortcut to a web page you've visited.
- Also called keyboard shortcut . hotkey.

adjective

constituting or providing a shorter or quicker way: shortcut methods.

Origin of shortcut

First recorded in 1560–70; short + cut

Words Nearby shortcut

Other definitions for short-cut (2 of 2)

short-cut

[ shawrt-kuht ]

verb (used with object),short-cut, short-cut·ting.

to cause to be shortened by the use of a shortcut.

verb (used without object),short-cut, short-cut·ting.

to use or take a shortcut.

Origin of short-cut

First recorded in 1560–70

Other words from short-cut

short-cutter, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shortcut in a sentence

In the cold winter months, this can inevitably take longer, and you’ll pay the price in comfort when you shortcut this process.
Best heated vest: Beat the cold weather with the right winter gear | PopSci Commerce Team | February 9, 2021 | Popular-Science
There are no shortcuts to gain expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
Seven enterprise SEO strategies and tactics that really work | Harpreet Munjal | February 8, 2021 | Search Engine Watch
In total, Adobe says, the company saw about 10 million clicks on its existing shortcuts, which just goes to show how many people try to convert or sign PDFs every day.
Adobe expands Acrobat Web, adds PDF text and image editing | Frederic Lardinois | February 2, 2021 | TechCrunch
The more complicated the security rules designed to protect access, the more likely that people — tired, hurried, bothered — will take shortcuts that make the system vulnerable.
Hackers thrive on the weak link in cybersecurity: People | Gershom Gorenberg | February 1, 2021 | Washington Post
Garten’s quicker version includes some home-cook-friendly shortcuts, while Keller’s requires more than two dozen ingredients, some prepared multiple ways.
Find out why Anthony Bourdain’s boeuf bourguignon is one of our most popular recipes ever | Becky Krystal | January 20, 2021 | Washington Post

Then, he set to work building a shortcut that would take the minable minerals he found through the mountain.
The Mole Man’s Tunnel to Nowhere | Nina Strochlic | November 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
This sort of “shortcut” is frowned upon in the martial arts community.
Fake It Like Batman: Welcome to The Real Fight Club | Anna Brand | December 27, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
It might also stop falling prey to the notion that the Muslim Brotherhood offers a shortcut to democratic stability.
Egypt’s Declaration of Independence: Not So Different From Ours | Christopher Dickey | July 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
And then there was the ultimate shortcut: using brand-name drugs as stand-ins for its own in bioequivalence studies.
Those Generic Drugs May Not Have Been What You Thought They Were | Megan McArdle | May 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Unwisely, he took a shortcut and so missed the impassable Cabora Bassa cataracts blocking the river.
Dr. Livingstone, I Presume? The Victorian Explorer at 200 | Tim Jeal | March 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Betty Byrd held fast to Doris as they turned into the side wood road which was a shortcut to the old Dorchester highway.
The Seven Sleuths' Club | Carol Norton
He went slowly over his shortcut, not to leave the widely circling Toussaint too much in his rear.
The Jimmyjohn Boss and Other Stories | Owen Wister
Lafe was sitting at the window as she ran through the shortcut along the tracks.
Rose O'Paradise | Grace Miller White
At one place, one of the native girls pointed out to us what she called a shortcut.
Through the South Seas with Jack London | Martin Johnson
A shortcut brought me—I could wish it had been shorter still.
Plays by August Strindberg, Third Series | August Strindberg

British Dictionary definitions for short cut

short cut

noun

a route that is shorter than the usual one
a means of saving time or effort

verbshort-cut -cuts, -cutting or -cut

(intr) to use a short cut

Origin of short cut

C16: from cut (in the sense: a direct route)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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