If there is a shortageof something, there is not enough of it.
A shortage of funds is preventing the U.N. from monitoring relief. [+ of]
The country is suffering from a food shortage.
There's no shortage of ideas when it comes to improving the education of children.
Synonyms: deficiency, want, lack, failure More Synonyms of shortage
shortage in British English
(ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ)
noun
a deficiency or lack in the amount needed, expected, or due; deficit
shortage in American English
(ʃɔrtɪdʒ)
US
noun
a deficiency in the quantity or amount needed or expected, or the extent of this; deficit
COBUILD Collocations
shortage
acute shortage
address the shortage
bed shortage
blame a shortage
chronic shortage
critical shortage
dire shortage
ease a shortage
face a shortage
food shortage
fuel shortage
petrol shortage
power shortage
skills shortage
solve the shortage
staff shortages
supply shortage
tackle a shortage
Examples of 'shortage' in a sentence
shortage
The power shortages would affect factories and businesses across the region.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Most of the rises are caused by the global food shortage.
The Sun (2008)
There is no housing shortage and no mortgage famine.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
His resignation letter reportedly complained of shortages and lack of healthcare and other support for his men.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
But this is mainly due to a shortage of suitable land and to the planning regime.
The Sun (2007)
The country faces a crumbling economy and chronic shortages.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Sales have been strong and prices have been sustained by the continued shortage of property.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
If there is a food shortage they are hit hardest.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Britain is suffering from a chronic housing shortage.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Equally significant was the shortage of property.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Some hospitals said they had had to turn wounded people away because of shortages of food and space.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
We are aware of growing delays in reporting images due to a shortage of those trained to interpret them.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The report found that such deals could make food shortages worse because local farmers were forced off the land.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Hundreds of people have died in six weeks of fighting that has destroyed the airport and caused fuel and power shortages.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Banks and businesses dispute how much the decline in lending has been due to supply shortages or a lack of demand.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The chronic shortage in the capital is depriving thousands of young workers of the opportunity to have a place of their own.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
There is no longer an overall housing shortage in Britain.
Forrest, Ray & Murie, Alan & Williams, Peter Home-ownership - differentiation and fragmentation (1990)
Despite wartime shortages and her lack of money, she also dressed well.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
More than 100,000 homes suffered power shortages.
The Sun (2014)
The housing shortage is forcing up house prices, this has led to higher land prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
But despite the shortage of property for sale, buyers are determined not to overpay.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Mining stocks also rebounded as metals prices were supported by power shortages in China cutting metal production.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
He said: 'There is a shortage of donors across the country.
The Sun (2008)
Of those, 44 per cent cited staff shortages and a lack of cover as key reasons.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
A spokesman said: 'There is no shortage of stamps.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
shortage
British English: shortage /ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/ NOUN
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
...a shortage of funds.
American English: shortage
Arabic: عَجْز
Brazilian Portuguese: escassez
Chinese: 短缺
Croatian: nestašica
Czech: nedostatek nouze
Danish: mangel
Dutch: tekort
European Spanish: escasez
Finnish: pula
French: pénurie
German: Knappheit
Greek: ανεπάρκεια
Italian: carenza
Japanese: 不足
Korean: 부족
Norwegian: mangel
Polish: niedobór
European Portuguese: escassez
Romanian: insuficiență
Russian: дефицит
Latin American Spanish: escasez
Swedish: brist knapphet
Thai: การขาดแคลน
Turkish: yokluk eksiklik
Ukrainian: брак
Vietnamese: sự thiếu
All related terms of 'shortage'
bed shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
dire shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
food shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
fuel shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
acute shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
labour shortage
a shortage or insufficiency of qualified candidates for employment (in an economy , country, etc)
petrol shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
power shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
skills shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
supply shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
chronic shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
critical shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
housing shortage
a deficiency or lack in the number of houses needed to accommodate the population of an area
blame a shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
ease a shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
face a shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
solve the shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
tackle a shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
address the shortage
If there is a shortage of something, there is not enough of it.
dollar gap
the difference , measured in US dollars , between a country's receipts or imports from the United States (or dollar area country) and its payments or exports to those countries
Chinese translation of 'shortage'
shortage
(ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ)
n(c/u)
短缺 (duǎnquē) (种(種), zhǒng)
(noun)
Definition
not enough of something needed
There's no shortage of ideas.
Synonyms
deficiency
They did tests for signs of vitamin deficiency.
want
The men were daily becoming weaker for want of rest.
lack
Despite his lack of experience, he got the job.
failure
Torrential rain contributed to the crop failure.
deficit
They're ready to cut the budget deficit for the next fiscal year.
poverty
a poverty of ideas
shortfall
The government has refused to make up a shortfall in funding.
inadequacy
the inadequacy of the water supply
scarcity
an ever-increasing scarcity of water
dearth
a dearth of resources
paucity (formal)
the paucity of information
insufficiency
Anaemia is due to insufficiency of iron.
Opposites
excess,
surplus
,
abundance
,
plethora
,
sufficiency
,
profusion
,
surfeit
,
adequate amount
,
overabundance
Additional synonyms
in the sense of dearth
Definition
an inadequate amount
a dearth of resources
Synonyms
lack,
want,
need,
absence,
poverty,
shortage,
deficiency,
famine,
inadequacy,
scarcity,
paucity (formal),
insufficiency,
sparsity,
scantiness,
exiguousness
in the sense of deficit
Definition
the amount by which a sum is lower than that expected or required
They're ready to cut the budget deficit for the next fiscal year.
Synonyms
shortfall,
shortage,
deficiency,
loss,
default,
arrears
in the sense of failure
Definition
a decline or loss of something
Torrential rain contributed to the crop failure.
Synonyms
scarcity,
lack,
shortfall,
inadequacy,
dearth,
insufficiency
Synonyms of 'shortage'
shortage
Explore 'shortage' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of inadequacy
Definition
lack or shortage
the inadequacy of the water supply
Synonyms
shortage,
poverty,
dearth,
paucity (formal),
insufficiency,
incompleteness,
meagreness,
skimpiness,
scantiness,
inadequateness
in the sense of insufficiency
Anaemia is due to insufficiency of iron.
Synonyms
shortage,
lack,
deficiency,
want,
poverty,
inadequacy,
short supply,
scarcity,
dearth,
paucity (formal),
scantiness,
inadequateness
in the sense of lack
Definition
shortage or absence of something required or desired
Despite his lack of experience, he got the job.
Synonyms
shortage,
want,
absence,
deficiency,
need,
shortcoming,
deprivation,
inadequacy,
scarcity,
dearth,
privation (formal),
shortness,
destitution,
insufficiency,
scantiness,
debt
in the sense of paucity
Definition
scarcity
the paucity of information
Synonyms
scarcity,
lack,
poverty,
shortage,
deficiency,
rarity,
dearth,
smallness,
insufficiency,
slenderness,
sparseness,
slightness,
sparsity,
meagreness,
paltriness,
scantiness
in the sense of poverty
Definition
lack or scarcity
a poverty of ideas
Synonyms
scarcity,
lack,
absence,
want,
deficit,
shortage,
deficiency,
inadequacy,
dearth,
paucity (formal),
insufficiency,
sparsity
in the sense of scarcity
Definition
an inadequate supply
an ever-increasing scarcity of water
Synonyms
shortage,
lack,
deficiency,
poverty,
want,
dearth,
paucity (formal),
insufficiency,
infrequency,
undersupply,
rareness
in the sense of shortfall
Definition
the amount of such a failure
The government has refused to make up a shortfall in funding.
Synonyms
deficit,
shortage,
deficiency,
loss,
default,
arrears
in the sense of want
Definition
a lack, shortage, or absence
The men were daily becoming weaker for want of rest.