short of

short of — idiom

1. used before mentioning the one thing that is not included in what you have just

1.慣用語B2
釋義

used before mentioning the one thing that is not included in what you have just said, or the only action that could change a situation

例句

Eli had tried every home remedy short of calling a doctor.

short of + -ing form

Short of a written apology, Putri refused to speak to her brother.

short of + noun phrase at sentence start

同義詞
  • except for

    more common in everyday speech; 'short of' carries a stronger sense of a limit or last resort

  • apart from

    similar meaning but less emphatic about the boundary being extreme

  • other than

    neutral in tone and interchangeable in most contexts

反義詞

文法句型

short of + noun

short of + -ing form

用法筆記

Often used with 'anything' or 'nothing' to set an extreme limit. The related phrase 'nothing short of' is an intensifier meaning 'absolute' or 'complete' — a distinct usage.

常見錯誤

❌LOL is short of laugh out loud.
✅LOL is short for laugh out loud.
💡'short for' introduces an abbreviation; 'short of' means 'except' or 'other than.'