Shorthanded
adj, adv, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 simple past and past participle of shorthand form-of, participle, past
- 1 Lacking sufficient staff or people, as for normal or efficient operations.
"The tiny restaurant usually got by with three workers on that shift, but found itself shorthanded when the tour bus pulled in."
- 2 Having less than a quorum.
"Neither the code nor the case law discuss whether or how the power of a shorthanded school board should be curtailed"
- 3 Having, or occurring during an interval with, fewer than a full complement of players, often as the result of a penalty.
"“Scoring a shorthanded goal gives the team a lift,” Lefley said. “We've been picking our spots and making the most of them."
- 4 Having fewer than the standard number of players.
"Some of the ideas discussed in the Omaha eight-or-better section include general concepts, position, low hands, high hands, your starting hand, play on the flop, multi-way versus shorthanded play, scare cards, getting counterfeited, and your playing style."
- 1 In a shorthanded manner.
""They were working shorthanded," said one PMA official, "this company's got a policy of releasing gangs working shorthanded.""
Example
More examples"We become very shorthanded at the end of the year."
Etymology
From short + handed.
More for "shorthanded"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.