shortage

[shawr-tij] /ˈʃɔr tɪdʒ/
noun
1.
a deficiency in quantity:
a shortage of cash.
2.
the amount of such deficiency.
Origin
1865-70; short + -age
Related forms
preshortage, noun
Synonyms
1. lack, want, scarcity.
Examples from the web for shortage
  • Famine, water shortage and energy poverty not to mention wars caused by the above and lack of space.
  • The other hearts, however, have no shortage of bon mots.
  • But no such catastrophe has been definitively linked to the shortage.
  • It is also, however, exposing a long-term shortage of local university graduates fluent in the world's lingua franca.
  • There's no shortage of fabulous archival material lurking in college and university collections.
  • No shortage of equipment from the best manufacturers, apparently no shortage of funding.
  • In occasional other areas, there's a shortage of faculty members.
  • There's not been a decade since official records began that hasn't seen severe rain shortage.
  • The shortage has driven up prices, which only worsens the fish's plight.
  • There is no shortage of patients eager to give the creatures a try.
British Dictionary definitions for shortage

shortage

/ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ/
noun
1.
a deficiency or lack in the amount needed, expected, or due; deficit
Word Origin and History for shortage
n.

1862, American English, from short + -age.

shortage in Culture

shortage definition


A condition that exists when demand exceeds supply because of a lack of equilibrium in a market. If a price is artificially low, buyers want to buy more of a good than sellers are willing to sell. (Compare surplus.)