SHORTshort/not long1 short in length or distance2 when something you say or write is short3 to make something shorter4 when a book or piece of writing has been made shorter5 to say or write something using as few words as possible6 when a name or word is a shorter way of saying somethingshort person7 not tall8 very shortshort time9 a short time10 continuing for only a short timeRELATED WORDSoppositeLONGto make a short statement that describes the main points of a speech, plan etc 总结SUMMARIZEsee alsoDISTANCE1 short in length or distance 长度或距离短的short /ʃɔːʳt/ [adjective]if something isshort, there is only a small length or distance from one end of it to the other 短的 These curtains are much too short. 这些窗帘太短了。 She has short curly hair and wears glasses. 她有短短的鬈发，戴着眼镜。 a short-sleeved T-shirt 一件短袖T恤|You look different your hair's shorter.你看起来不一样了一你的头发剪短了。 You look different - your hair's shorter. The hotel is just a short distance from the station. 宾馆离车站只有很短的路程。 Chris went for a short walk to clear his head. 克里斯出去走了走，清醒清醒头脑。short cuta shorter, and therefore quicker, way of getting to a place 捷径，近路 Sandy took a short cut home. 桑迪抄了一条近路回家。 Do you know any short cuts to the hospital? 你知道去医院有近路可以走吗？stubby/stumpy /ˈstʌbi, ˈstʌmpi/ [adjective]body parts that arestubby orstumpy are short and thick 〔身体部位〕粗短的 Pheasants have short stubby wings which enable them to fly very fast and low. 野鸡的翅膀又粗又短，所以它们能飞得很快很低。 a fat little boy with stumpy legs 两腿粗短的胖小子2 when something you say or write is short 说的话或写的东西简短的short /ʃɔːʳt/ [adjective]ashort piece of writing or speech does not have many pages or words 简短的〔文字或讲话〕 Graham made a short speech of thanks after the ceremony. 仪式结束后，格雷厄姆致简短谢辞。 a book of short stories 短篇小说集 The chapters are really short, so I read a couple every night. 章节很短，所以我每天晚上读几章。 We had a short pep talk from the coach before the game. 比赛开始前，教练短短地讲了几句鼓舞士气的话。 Please write a short paragraph explaining your reasons for applying to this college. 请写一段简短的文字，说明你申请就读本校的原因。brief /briːf/ [adjective]abrief note, description, remark etc uses very few words and gives very few details 简短的〔便条、描述、言语等〕 The book begins with a brief outline of the history of modern China. 本书开头部分简单介绍了中国现代历史。 We just have to write a very brief piece on what we did in the vacation. 我们只要写一篇很短的文字，说说假期里我们干了些什么。 There was a brief note with the flowers. 送来的花附了一张小纸条。concise /kənˈsaɪs/ [adjective]short and clear, and with no unnecessary words 简明的，简洁的 Saussure expressed his arguments in a concise and logical way. 索绪尔把论点阐述得简洁明了，而且很有条理。 Sergeant Hanks gave us concise, sensible instructions. 汉克斯中士给我们下达了简洁而合理的命令。clear and concise Make sure that your answers are as clear and concise as possible. 回答一定要尽量简洁清晰。succinct /səkˈsɪŋkt/ [adjective]formalexpressing something well but with very few words 【正式】简明的，简要的，简洁的 The new labelling is more succinct and advises consumers simply that oat bran may help prevent heart disease. 新的标签更加简洁扼要，只忠告消费者说燕麦麸有助于预防心脏病。succinctly [adverb] Spell out your work objectives clearly and succinctly. 清楚扼要地说一说你的工作目标。say/put something succinctlysay something in a succinct way 简洁地说某事 As Susan put it so succinctly ‘No overtime pay, no work!’ 苏珊已经说得很清楚了，“没有加班费，不加班！”3 to make something shorter 使某物变短shorten /ˈʃɔːʳtn/ [transitive verb]to make something shorter, especially by removing part of it 使变短，缩短 I heard she had an operation to shorten her nose. 我听说她动手术把鼻子做短了。 You can improve your writing just by shortening some of these long sentences. 只要把这些长句子改短，你的文章就可以好一些。 It costs £12 to get trousers shortened. 裤子改短要12英镑。 This essay's still too long, I'll have to shorten it by a couple of thousand words. 这篇论文还是太长，我得把它缩短几千字。shorten something to something His name's Lawrence, but it's usually shortened to Larry. 他的名字是劳伦斯，但是一般简称拉里。make something shorter /ˌmeɪk something ˈʃɔːʳtəʳ/ [verb phrase]to make something shorter, especially by removing part of it 改短某物，缩短某物 You could make your speech shorter by taking out all the quotations. 你可以删掉所有引文，把演说稿改短一些。make something one metre/two centimetres etc shorter Engineers have removed a section of the pipeline, making it about a hundred metres shorter. 工程师拿掉了一段管道，把它缩短了约一百米。cut /kʌt/ [transitive verb]to make a film or piece of writing shorter by removing parts from it 删剪〔电影〕；删节〔文章〕 Even after it had been cut, the film was still over three hours long. 这部电影即使删剪过之后仍长达三个多小时。 I had to cut huge chunks out to get this essay to the right length. 我得把这篇论文大段大段地删节至适当的篇幅。cut something from something It's so difficult to cut even a couple of scenes from a play without losing some of the story. 一个剧本即使只是删一两个场面，也很难做到不丢失故事情节的。cut down /ˌkʌt ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]to make a piece of writing shorter by removing parts of it completely 缩短，删略〔文章〕cut something down The introduction's too long. Can you try and cut it down? 引言太长了，你能否试试作一些删略? Did you have to cut your dissertation down? 你的论文必须要缩短吗?cut down something They want me to cut down my article so that it'll all fit onto one page. 他们要我把文章作一些删节，这样就能排在一页里面。condense /kənˈdens/ [transitive verb]to shorten something spoken or written, by not giving as much detail, or by using fewer words to give the same information 使〔说的话或写的东西〕缩短，浓缩 I'd like to condense that statement still further. 我想把那个声明再浓缩一下。condense something into something Hawkins condensed all his writings into one volume for publication. 霍金斯把他所有的文章都精简成一册来出版。 How could he condense all he had lived through into a sixty-minute speech? 他是如何把他所经历的一切浓缩成一场60分钟的演说的？4 when a book or piece of writing has been made shorter 书或文章被删节shortened /ˈʃɔːʳtnd/ [adjective]shortened version (of something) This chapter is a shortened version of a paper that was written in 1977. 这一章是1977年写的一篇论文的删节版本。 a shortened version of the Jewish creed 犹太教义的缩略本in (a) shortened form The book contains many of the most popular stories from the Bible in shortened form. 这本书里有许多经过缩略的最广为流传的圣经故事。abridged /əˈbrɪdʒd/ [adjective]abridged version/edition/account (of something)a shortened version of a piece of writing or speech, which keeps its basic structure and meaning 〔某物的〕删节本 The following article is an abridged version of a speech given by Porter in May 2000. 下面的文章是一篇波特在2000年5月发表的一次演讲的删节本。 The book is an abridged account of his experiences in India before Independence. 这本书是一个删节本，叙述了印度独立前他在那里的经历。5 to say or write something using as few words as possible 用尽量少的语言说或写be brief /biː ˈbriːf/ [verb phrase]to say something using as few words as possible, because you do not have much time 说得简短，长话短说 Lieutenant, I'll be brief and I'll be candid -- when do you plan to leave? 中尉，我就长话短说，单刀直入了—你打算什么时候走? I'm sure you're all very busy, so I'll be brief. 我知道你们都很忙，所以我长话短说。 I'll be as brief as possible so as not to waste your time. 我尽量说得简短一些，不浪费你们的时间。keep it short /ˌkiːp ɪt ˈʃɔːʳt/ [verb phrase]informalto say or write something using as few words as possible 【非正式】简短地说 I'll keep it short as I don't have much time. 我时间不多，所以就长话短说了。 Tell me, but keep it short, I'm in the middle of something. 说吧，不过要简短些，我正有事儿。keep it short and sweet/short and simple Mr Chairman, I think I've got five minutes, so I'll keep it fairly short and sweet. 主席先生，我想我有五分钟时间，所以我会讲得十分简短扼要。6 when a name or word is a shorter way of saying something 名字或单词是某事物的缩略方式be short for /biː ˈʃɔːʳt fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase] VHF is short for Very High Frequency. VHF是Very High Frequency〔甚高频〕的缩写。 ‘Is ‘Shelley’ short for anything?’ ‘Yes, my real name's Michelle.’ “Shelley是简称吧？”“是的，我的全名是Michelle。” What's ‘ISP’ short for? ISP是什么的缩写？stand for /ˈstænd fɔːʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb]if a letterstands for a name or word, it is the first letter of that name or word 代表 ‘What does ‘NAC’ stand for?’ ‘National Aerobics Championships’. “NAC指的是什么？”“ On a US ship, you see ‘USS’, standing for ‘United States Ship’. 美国的船只上写有USS字样，代表United States Ship〔美国船〕。 The ‘F’ in ‘John F Kennedy’ stood for ‘Fitzgerald’. 约翰·F.肯尼迪中的F代表Fitzgerald〔菲茨杰拉德〕。for short /fəʳ ˈʃɔːʳt/ [adverb]if you call someone or something a particular namefor short, you call them by a name that is a shorter way of saying their real name 简称 Hi, my name's Moses -- Mo for short. 嗨，我叫摩西—简称摩。 He's actually called Jeremy, but everyone who knows him calls him Jem for short. 他其实叫杰里米，但认识他的人都叫他杰姆，那是他的简称。abbreviate /əˈbriːvieɪt/ [transitive verb usually in passive]to make a long name or word shorter so that it is easier to say or write 缩略，缩写〔名称或单词〕 Is it correct to abbreviate ‘Avenue’, ‘Street’ and so on when writing an address on an envelope? 在信封上写地址的时候，Avenue、Street等词用缩写正确吗?be abbreviated to something The word ‘kilogram' is usually abbreviated to ’kg'. 单词kilogram〔千克〕通常缩写成kg。abbreviation /əˌbriːviˈeɪʃən/ [countable noun]a shorter way of saying a word or the name of something such as an organization or someone's job, especially by using the first letters of words instead of the whole words 〔单词或名称的〕缩略语，缩写〔尤用词语的首字母代替整个词语〕 Disk Operating Systems are usually known by the abbreviation DOS. 磁盘操作系统通常简称DOS。I a Dictionary of Acronyms and Abbreviations 一本缩略语辞典 I never knew the abbreviation ‘GI’ stood for ‘Government Issue’. 我从来都不知道GI是Government Issue〔政府发放〕的缩写。abbreviation for BBC is an abbreviation for British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC是British Broadcasting Corporation〔英国广播公司〕的缩写。7 not tall 不高的short /ʃɔːʳt/ [adjective]not as tall as most people 个子矮的 ‘What does she look like?’ ‘She's short and fat, with brown hair.’ “她长什么样子？”“她又矮又胖，头发是棕色的。” a short, stocky man with powerful shoulders 一个肩膀强壮有力、矮小敦实的男子 Mr Haddad was several inches shorter than his wife. 哈达德先生比他太太矮几英寸。not very tall /nɒt veri ˈtɔːl/ [adjective phrase]fairly short 个子不高的 She's not very tall - about 1.4 metres, I'd say. 她个子不是很高—我想大概一米四左右。 Well, I'm not very tall and my legs are short, so I always had trouble in the hurdle race. 嗯，我个子不高，腿又短，所以参加跨栏比赛总是很麻烦。small /smɔːl/ [adjective]not as big or as tall as most people 个子矮小的 a small man in a dark suit 身穿一套黑衣服的矮个子男人 How come I always seem to go out with small men? 我怎么好像总是和矮个子的男人约会？ My sister's quite a bit smaller and slimmer than me. 我妹妹比我矮小一些，苗条一些。small for his/her agesmaller than other children of the same age 以他/她的年龄来说个子小 Bobby's small for his age, but he's perfectly healthy. 以博比的年龄来说，他算是矮小的，但是他身体非常健康。little /ˈlɪtl/ [adjective only before noun]short and small, used especially to describe children or old people 矮小的〔尤用于描写小孩或老人〕 We saw a little old lady with a walking-stick. 我们看到一位身材矮小、拄着拐杖的老太太。 Who's this little boy in the blue sweater? 穿蓝毛衣的那个小男孩是谁？ I haven't seen one of those since I was a little girl. 从我还是个小女孩的时候起，就再也没见过那东西了。petite /pəˈtiːt/ [adjective]a woman who ispetite is attractively short and thin 〔女子〕娇小的 His wife was a petite dark-haired woman in her early thirties. 他妻子娇小玲珑，黑色头发，三十刚出头。stocky /ˈstɒkiǁˈstɑː-/ [adjective]a man who isstocky is fairly short and looks heavy and often strong 矮而结实的，敦实的 Brandon's quite stocky really, isn't he? 布兰登长得很敦实，是不是？ He's a big stocky bloke and he plays rugby. 他是个大块头，长得很敦实，喜欢打橄榄球。squat /skwɒtǁskwɑːt/ [adjective]short and fat, especially in an unattractive way 矮胖的 The cook was short and squat, with thick eyebrows and a slight moustache. 厨师又矮又胖，眉毛粗黑，留了一撮稀疏的小胡子。 a shabby, squat, balding man in an old raincoat 一个穿着旧雨衣、衣衫褴褛、矮矮胖胖、有些秃顶的男人8 very short 非常矮的tiny /ˈtaɪni/ [adjective] A tiny old lady answered the door. 一位个子非常矮小的老太太开了门。 She's tiny, but she belts out these old blues songs like you wouldn't believe. 她长得非常矮小，但是她放声高唱起这些老的蓝调歌曲的样子，你是难以相信的。 They look so funny together. She's really tiny and her husband's about six foot five. 他们俩在一起看上去很滑稽，她很矮小，而她丈夫大概有6英尺5英寸左右。tiny littleinformal She was holding a tiny little baby in her arms. 她怀里抱着一个丁点大的婴儿。diminutive /dɪˈmɪnjɑtɪv, dəˈmɪnjɑtɪv/ [adjective]writtenunusually small and thin 【书面】身材瘦小的 Peter was a shy, diminutive man who seldom said anything to anyone. 彼得是个腼腆、瘦小的人，很少跟人说话。 A diminutive figure appeared in the doorway. 一个瘦小的身影出现在门口。9 a short time 很短的时间a short time /ə ˌʃɔːʳt ˈtaɪm/ [singular noun] Unfortunately, we could only spend a short time together. 遗憾的是，我们能在一起的时间只有很短一段。 The talk should only last a short time. 会谈应该只持续很短的一段时间。in/within a short time How did you manage to do all this in such a short time? 你是怎样做到在这么短的时间内干完这些事情的? The police arrived within a very short time. 警察没一会儿就赶到了。a short time ago Your friends left a short time ago. 你朋友走了没多久。for a short time I think he went to prison for a short time. 我想他坐牢坐了很短时间。a little while/a short while /ə ˌlɪtl ˈwaɪl, ə ˌʃɔːʳt ˈwaɪl/ [singular noun]a short period of time, during or after which something happens 一小段时间 It always takes a little while to get used to the climate. 适应气候总需要一段时间。for a short/little while Bob's only worked here for a short while, about six months I think. 鲍勃在这儿只工作了很短的一段时间，我想大概六个月吧。a little while/a short while ago He died a little while ago. 他不久前过世了。 She was in the papers a short while ago. 她不久前上过报纸。after/in a little/short while If you take the pills now, your headache will go after a short while. 如果你现在把药吃了，头痛一会儿就能好。 Don't start that now, it'll be time to go in a little while. 不要现在开始做那事，过一会儿就要走了。a minute/a moment /ə ˈmɪnt, ə ˈməʊmənt/ [singular noun]a very short time, no more than a few minutes 一会儿，片刻 Just a moment Susie, can I have a quick word with you? 等一会儿，苏茜，我和你说一两句话好吗? Can I borrow your pen a minute? 借你的笔用一下可以吗？ Wait a minute, I'm nearly ready. 等一会儿，我快准备好了。a minute/moment ago Where's Charles gone? He was here a moment ago. 查尔斯去哪儿了？他刚才还在这里。for/in a minute/moment Sit down for a minute and rest your legs. 坐一会儿，让你的腿歇歇。 Mark should be back in a moment. 马克应该一会儿就回来。 I'll be with you in a minute. 我一会儿就回来陪你。a second/an instant /ə ˈsekənd, ən ˈɪnstənt/ [singular noun]an extremely short time, no more than a few seconds 片刻，顷刻 Do you mind switching the telly on a second? 开一会儿电视行吗？ An instant later, she let out a piercing scream. 没过多久，她发出了一声尖叫。 ‘Yes,’ she declared, without an instant's hesitation. “是的。”她毫不犹豫地宣称。 ‘Have you finished writing?’ ‘No, hang on a second.’ “你写完了吗？”“没有，等一会儿。”for a second/an instant Can I stop you there, just for a second? 打扰你一下行吗？就一会儿。 Just hold that end for a second while I fix this to the wall. 你拿着那头一会儿，我把这头钉到墙上。 Did her eyes flicker open for an instant? 她的眼睛有没有眨开过一会儿？in a second/an instant Mr Smart's on the other line, can he call you back in a second? 斯马特先生在听另一个电话，叫他过一会儿打给你好吗? We both fell asleep in an instant. 我们俩都是一下子就睡着了。a bit /ə ˈbɪt/ [singular noun]British spokena short time, usually just a few minutes 【英口】一会儿时间 I waited, and a bit later the phone went again -- it was Bill. 我等了一会儿，电话铃又响了—是比尔。 Oh, wait a bit, can't you? 噢，等等行吗？after/for/in a bit I think I'll lie down for a bit. 我想我要躺一会儿。 ‘Are you coming?’ ‘Yes, in a bit.’ “你来吗？”“来，马上来。” After a bit, Bill had started to tire of her company. 没过一会儿，比尔就厌倦和她在一起了。10 continuing for only a short time 持续很短时间的short /ʃɔːʳt/ [adjective]continuing for only ashort time 时间很短的 The meeting was shorter than I'd expected. 开会时间比我原来预计的要短。 the shortest day of the year 一年中最短的一天 a short course in aromatherapy 香薰疗法短期课程 It would have been better if they'd closed the road for a short period of time while the repairs were done. 修路的时候，他们还是封路一段时间较好。quick /kwɪk/ [adjective only before noun]aquick action takes only a very short time, because you are in a hurry 快的，匆匆的 I took a quick look at the map. 我很快查了一下地图。 Do I have time for a quick shower before we go out? 我们出去之前，我赶快洗个淋浴来得及吗？ She's going to give me a quick lesson on Feng Shui this afternoon. 她今天下午要很快地给我上一堂风水课。 Can I ask just one quick question? 我就问一个小问题，行吗？brief /briːf/ [adjective]abrief pause, visit etc is short, especially because there is not much time available 〔停顿、访问等〕短暂的，短时间的 It was impossible to see everything during our brief visit to Paris. 我们在巴黎停留时间很短，不可能什么都看。 After a brief intermission, the performance continued. 短短的幕间休息过后，演出继续进行。not take long /nɒt teɪk ˈlɒŋǁ-ˈlɔːŋ/ [verb phrase]if something doesnot take long, you do it and finish it in a short time 不用很长时间 Let me show you how to use the program -- it won't take long. 我来教你怎么用这个程序—花不了多少时间。not take long to do We'll have the chicken drumsticks - they won't take long to thaw. 我们就吃鸡腿吧—鸡腿解冻快。it doesn't take (somebody) long to do something It didn't take long to solve the problem. 没多久问题就解决了。 It sure didn't take you long to smell the food! 有好吃的东西当然一下子就闻出来了！temporary /ˈtempərəri, -pəriǁ-pəreri/ [adjective]something that istemporary is expected to continue for only a short time and will not be permanent 临时的，暂时的 The doctor says the swelling is just temporary and should go down in a few days. 医生说发肿只是暂时的，过几天就会消下去。 a temporary driver's license 临时驾驶执照 They're living in temporary accommodation at the moment. 他们目前住在一个临时居所里。temporary workers/staff/job etc Demand for temporary workers continues to rise. 对临时工的需求在继续增长。 Ben's found a temporary job until November. 本找到了一份做到11月份的临时工作。temporarily [adverb]for a limited period of time 临时地，暂时地 The library is temporarily closed for repairs. 图书馆因为整修暂时关闭。short-lived /ˌʃɔːʳt ˈlɪvd◂/ [adjective]something that isshort-lived ends sooner than you want it to - use this especially about a feeling or relationship 〔尤指感情或关系〕短暂的 They had a passionate but short-lived affair. 他们之间有过一段充满激情但是短暂的关系。 We were glad to be home, but our happiness was short-lived. 我们很高兴回到了家里，但是我们的幸福并不长久。 However, the President's popularity may prove to be short-lived. 然而，总统的支持率也许难以长久。passing /ˈpɑːsɪŋǁˈpæ-/ [adjective only before noun]passing thought/interest/fashion/phase etcone that continues for a short time and then quickly disappears 一时的想法/一时的兴趣/一时的时尚/过渡阶段等 At the time, I didn't give Alison so much as a passing thought -- I had other things on my mind. 当时我没有想到艾莉森，连闪过一个念头都没有—我脑子里在想其他事情。 Most people take only a passing interest in their horoscope. 大多数人对于自己的星象都只有一时的兴趣。 Whether this is just a passing fad or a lasting fashion trend, only time will tell. 这只是一时的风尚还是持久的潮流，唯有时间才能证明。ephemeral /ɪˈfemərəl/ [adjective]formalcontinuing for only a short time - used especially in literature 【正式】短暂的，瞬间的〔尤用于文学作品〕 No dictionary can really capture something as fleeting and ephemeral as slang. 没有一本辞典能真正地把昙花一现、转瞬即逝的俚语记录下来。 Hopes of political unity in the region have proved ephemeral. 在该地区实现政治上的统一，这一希望证明只是昙花一现。