Short vs. Tall: What's the Difference?
Edited by Huma Saeed || By Sawaira Riaz || Updated on September 27, 2023
"Short" describes a limited extent in height or length, while "Tall" refers to a greater extent in height, often above average.
Key Differences
The English language utilizes various adjectives to convey size, height, and length. Among them, "Short" and "Tall" are commonly employed. "Short" generally denotes something of limited length or height. Whether describing a person, an object, or a span of time, "Short" suggests that it lacks in comparative measure. For instance, a short person is below average height, while a short story is brief in length.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Contrarily, "Tall" is an adjective used to depict something that has an above-average or considerable height. When describing people, "Tall" insinuates an individual's height is above the norm. In broader contexts, tall can describe buildings, trees, or any other entity that stands out due to its notable height.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
While both terms are relative and can change based on context, they inherently offer opposite meanings. For example, a short building in a city with skyscrapers might be considered tall in a town with predominantly single-story structures. Yet, the inherent concept remains: "Short" points to a lack in height or length, and "Tall" indicates an abundance of it.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
It's worth noting that both words can stretch beyond physical descriptions. For instance, "Short" can hint at a shortage or lack of something, as in "short on cash," while "Tall" can sometimes allude to unbelievable tales or claims, as in "a tall tale." Regardless of context, these adjectives allow for clear, concise descriptions in everyday conversations and writings.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023
Comparison Chart
Basic Definition
Limited in height or length.
Greater in height, often above average.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
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Contextual Usage
Can describe objects, durations, or deficits.
Often describes objects or people with notable height.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Relativity
Often comparative, based on surrounding references.
Comparative, depending on the average or norm.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Beyond Physical
Can indicate a shortage, e.g., "short on time".
Can mean exaggerated, e.g., "a tall tale".
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023
Grammatical Role
Adjective used to describe nouns.
Adjective used to depict nouns.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
Short and Tall Definitions
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Short
Close to the present time.
The project is short-term, ending next month.
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Sep 27, 2023
Tall
Above average in height for a person.
She was tall for her age, towering over her classmates.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023
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Tall
Having considerable height, especially in relation to width; lofty
Tall trees.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Tall
(Informal) Fanciful or exaggerated; boastful
Tall tales of heroic exploits.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Tall
(of a person) Having a vertical extent greater than the average. For example, somebody with a height of over 6 feet would generally be considered to be tall.
Being tall is an advantage in basketball.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Tall
(of a building, etc.) Having its top a long way up; having a great vertical (and often greater than horizontal) extent; high.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Holding a trading position that is inversely related to the price of a security or index
Short investors.
An investor who is short gold.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Tall
(obsolete) Seemly; suitable; fitting, becoming, comely; attractive, handsome.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
(Linguistics) Of, relating to, or being a speech sound of relatively brief duration, as the first vowel sound in the Latin word mălus, "evil," as compared with the same or a similar sound of relatively long duration, as the first vowel sound in the Latin word mālus, "apple tree."
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being a vowel sound in English, such as the vowel sound (ă) in pat or () in put, that is descended from a vowel of brief duration.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Being of relatively brief duration. Used of a syllable in quantitative prosody.
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Jan 16, 2023
Tall
A tall serving of a drink, especially one from Starbucks, which contains 12 ounces.
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Jan 16, 2023
Tall
High in stature; having a considerable, or an unusual, extension upward; long and comparatively slender; having the diameter or lateral extent small in proportion to the height; as, a tall person, tree, or mast.
Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
At a point before a given boundary, limit, or goal
A missile that landed short of the target.
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Jan 16, 2023
Tall
Brave; bold; courageous.
As tall a trenchermanAs e'er demolished a pye fortification.
His companions, being almost in despair of victory, were suddenly recomforted by Sir William Stanley, which came to succors with three thousand tall men.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Tall
Great in vertical dimension; high in stature;
Tall people
Tall buildings
Tall trees
Tall ships
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Jan 16, 2023
Tall
Lofty in style;
He engages in so much tall talk, one never really realizes what he is saying
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Shorts A byproduct of wheat processing that consists of germ, bran, and coarse meal or flour.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Shorts Clippings or trimmings that remain as byproducts in various manufacturing processes, often used to make an inferior variety of the product.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Having a small distance from one end or edge to another, either horizontally or vertically.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Having little duration.
Our meeting was a short six minutes today. Every day for the past month it’s been at least twenty minutes long.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
(followed by for) Of a word or phrase, constituting an abbreviation (for another) or shortened form (of another).
"Phone" is short for "telephone" and "asap" short for "as soon as possible".
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
(gambling) Of betting odds, offering a small return for the money wagered.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Brittle, crumbly. See shortbread, shortcake, shortcrust, shortening, hot short, cold-short.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Abrupt; brief; pointed; petulant.
He gave a short answer to the question.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty.
A short supply of provisions
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied, especially with money; scantily furnished; lacking.
To be short of money
I'd lend you the cash but I'm a little short at present.
The cashier came up short ten dollars on his morning shift.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Deficient; less; not coming up to a measure or standard.
An account which is short of the truth
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
(finance) Being in a financial investment position that is structured to be profitable if the price of the underlying security declines in the future.
Short position
I'm short in General Motors because I think their sales are plunging.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Of money: given in the fewest possible notes, i.e. those of the largest denomination.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Abruptly, curtly, briefly.
They had to stop short to avoid hitting the dog in the street.
He cut me short repeatedly in the meeting.
The boss got a message and cut the meeting short.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Without achieving a goal or requirement.
His speech fell short of what was expected.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Relatively far from the batsman and hence bouncing higher than normal; opposite of full.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
(finance) With a negative ownership position.
We went short most finance companies in July.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
A short version of a garment in a particular size.
38 short suits fit me right off the rack.
Do you have that size in a short?
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
(baseball) A shortstop.
Jones smashes a grounder between third and short.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
(finance) A short seller.
The market decline was terrible, but the shorts were buying champagne.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
(finance) A short sale or short position.
He closed out his short at a modest loss after three months.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
(programming) An integer variable having a smaller range than normal integers; usually two bytes long.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
To provide with a smaller than agreed or labeled amount.
This is the third time I’ve caught them shorting us.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
To sell something, especially securities, that one does not own at the moment for delivery at a later date in hopes of profiting from a decline in the price; to sell short.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Deficient in.
We are short a few men on the second shift.
He's short common sense.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
(finance) Having a negative position in.
I don’t want to be short the market going into the weekend.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Not long; having brief length or linear extension; as, a short distance; a short piece of timber; a short flight.
The bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Not extended in time; having very limited duration; not protracted; as, short breath.
The life so short, the craft so long to learn.
To short absense I could yield.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Limited in quantity; inadequate; insufficient; scanty; as, a short supply of provisions, or of water.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Insufficiently provided; inadequately supplied; scantily furnished; lacking; not coming up to a resonable, or the ordinary, standard; - usually with of; as, to be short of money.
We shall be short in our provision.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Deficient; defective; imperfect; not coming up, as to a measure or standard; as, an account which is short of the trith.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Not distant in time; near at hand.
Marinell was sore offendedThat his departure thence should be so short.
He commanded those who were appointed to attend him to be ready by a short day.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Limited in intellectual power or grasp; not comprehensive; narrow; not tenacious, as memory.
Their own short understandings reachNo farther than the present.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Less important, efficaceous, or powerful; not equal or equivalent; less (than); - with of.
Hardly anything short of an invasion could rouse them again to war.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Abrupt; brief; pointed; petulant; as, he gave a short answer to the question.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Not prolonged, or relatively less prolonged, in utterance; - opposed to long, and applied to vowels or to syllables. In English, the long and short of the same letter are not, in most cases, the long and short of the same sound; thus, the i in ill is the short sound, not of i in isle, but of ee in eel, and the e in pet is the short sound of a in pate, etc. See Quantity, and Guide to Pronunciation, 22, 30.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
The part of milled grain sifted out which is next finer than the bran.
The first remove above bran is shorts.
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
A short sound, syllable, or vowel.
If we compare the nearest conventional shorts and longs in English, as in "bit" and "beat," "not" and "naught," we find that the short vowels are generally wide, the long narrow, besides being generally diphthongic as well. Hence, originally short vowels can be lengthened and yet kept quite distinct from the original longs.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
In a short manner; briefly; limitedly; abruptly; quickly; as, to stop short in one's course; to turn short.
He was taken up very short, and adjudged corrigible for such presumptuous language.
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Accidental contact between two points in an electric circuit that have a potential difference
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
The fielding position of the player on a baseball team who is stationed between 2nd and 3rd base
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration;
A short life
A short flight
A short holiday
A short story
Only a few short months
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Primarily spatial sense; having little length or lacking in length;
Short skirts
Short hair
The board was a foot short
A short toss
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Low in stature; not tall;
His was short and stocky
Short in stature
A short smokestack
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Not sufficient to meet a need;
An inadequate income
A poor salary
Money is short
On short rations
Food is in short supply
Short on experience
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Not holding securities or commodities that one sells in expectation of a fall in prices;
A short sale
Short in cotton
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Of speech sounds (especially vowels) of relatively short duration (as e.g. the English vowel sounds in `pat', `pet', `pit', `pot', putt')
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Containing a large amount of shortening; therefore tender and easy to crumble or break into flakes;
Shortbread is a short crumbly cookie
A short flaky pie crust
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Less than the correct or legal or full amount often deliberately so;
A light pound
A scant cup of sugar
Regularly gives short weight
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Jan 16, 2023
Short
Lacking foresight or scope;
A short view of the problem
Shortsighted policies
Shortsighted critics derided the plan
Myopic thinking
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Marked by rude or peremptory shortness;
Try to cultivate a less brusque manner
A curt reply
The salesgirl was very short with him
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
Without possessing something at the time it is contractually sold;
He made his fortune by selling short just before the crash
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
At some point or distance before a goal is reached;
He fell short of our expectations
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
Short
In a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner;
He told me curtly to get on with it
He talked short with everyone
He said shortly that he didn't like it
Sawaira Riaz
Jan 16, 2023
FAQs
Can "Short" mean close to the present?
Yes, as in "short-term" plans or goals.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023
Does "Tall" always mean something positive?
Not necessarily, e.g., "a tall tale" can be an exaggerated, unbelievable story.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Can "Short" describe durations?
Yes, e.g., "a short film" or "a short while".
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Is "Tall" used only for people?
No, it can describe anything with notable height, like buildings or trees.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
Can "Short" describe someone's temperament?
Yes, someone can have a "short temper" meaning easily angered.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
Does "Tall" ever mean the exact opposite of high?
No, "Tall" consistently relates to height or exaggeration.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023
Can you use "Tall" to describe non-physical concepts?
Yes, like "a tall order" meaning a challenging request.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
Can "Short" be used in sports?
Yes, like "shortstop" in baseball or "short corner" in soccer.
Aimie Carlson
Sep 27, 2023
How is "Short" related to electricity?
A "short circuit" is an unintended connection in an electrical system.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
Can "Tall" describe sounds?
Not typically. "Tall" mainly describes height or exaggeration.
Sara Rehman
Sep 27, 2023
Are the terms opposites?
Generally, "Short" and "Tall" are considered antonyms in terms of height.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023
Is "Tall" always relative to an average?
Often, but the context determines what the average or norm is.
Janet White
Sep 27, 2023
How is "Short" used in finance?
"Shorting" a stock means betting its price will drop.
Harlon Moss
Sep 27, 2023
Is "Tall" ever used in clothing?
Yes, for sizes that accommodate longer limbs or torsos.
Sawaira Riaz
Sep 27, 2023
About Author
Written by
Sawaira RiazSawaira is a dedicated content editor at difference.wiki, where she meticulously refines articles to ensure clarity and accuracy. With a keen eye for detail, she upholds the site's commitment to delivering insightful and precise content.
Edited by
Huma SaeedHuma is a renowned researcher acclaimed for her innovative work in Difference Wiki. Her dedication has led to key breakthroughs, establishing her prominence in academia. Her contributions continually inspire and guide her field.
