shorty
UK/ˈʃɔː.ti/US/ˈʃoɹ.ti/
shorty noun: something or someone that is shorter than normal.
Noun
shorty (plural shorties)
- Something or someone that is shorter than normal.
- A rock fishing expedition doesn't involve a lot of paraphernalia. Mick had brought his short rod with the overhead style, egg-beater reel they use off boats. 'The shorty's good for the fight.'2001 December 2, Rhidian Brook, “On the rocks”, in The Observer, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2025
- A term of endearment for a child, younger sibling, shorter person, etc.
- A child.
- "I think we loved 'The Bridge Is Over' more than anybody else," says Nas, who was just a shorty when he first heard the opening shot.1995, Vibe, page 102
- Like one day when I was just a shorty my mother was drinking a beer and a policeman told her to pour it out. He was way too little to be saying that to my mother. No way I was going to let him put handcuffs on her.1997, William Ayers, A kind and just parent: the children of juvenile court, Beacon Pr
- An attractive young female, especially one who is sexually available.
- I guarantee, shorty, it's real, baby, stick it out / [...] / You talk a good one, shorty, now you're makin' me sweat1996, “Doin' It”, in Mr. Smith, performed by LL Cool J
- But seeing my boy on the cover of your magazine with three fine shorties made me think twice about the assumptions I've made.1999, Vibe
- A girlfriend.
- These are the things that separate a date from a fiancee, a shorty from a wife, a one-night stand from a lifetime commitment.2003, Ebony, page 34
- Demarco said pulling down his cap “Yeah, that's what I be hearing, my shorty told me how Shelly be bragging about the time ya'll had.”2011, A.D. King, "Nola's Island": Vacation From Degradation, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN, page 47
- A short-legged and sleeveless or short-sleeved wetsuit.
- However, many buy a wetsuit, because it can be pretty unpleasant to put on a musty hire suit. There are various thickness options, but a good compromise is a 5mm one-piece wetsuit and a 5mm 'shorty' worn over the top. (In warmer climes, use either suit on its own).2006 December 8, “All you need to know about: Scuba diving”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 28 Sep 2014
- Our instructors, Ryan and Shannon, offered us hot coffee to warm up, and a variety of wetsuit options to settle the attire issue. Carlos chose his own full suit. I grabbed my spring shorty with long sleeves.2010 May 21, Catharine Cooper, “Chasing Down The Muse: The art of the paddle”, in Daily Pilot, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06...
- A shorthanded goal.
Adjective
shorty (not comparable)
- Shorter than normal, especially of clothing.
- Last seasons long, droopy skirt is being seen to by the scissors turning it into this season's shorty version, still handily teamed with last season/this season/next seasons comfy sloppy Joe. The effect won't just be felt by the very young. While we started off the winter craving a slightly dour...1993 December 30, Kate Constable, “Fashion: Relax] It's all up to you ..”, in The Independent, London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 06 Jul 2022
- “It’s a shorty wrap— 2.6, which means it’s 2.6 meters,” she [Lesley Doyle] said. “We kind of geek out over this stuff.”2010 March 20, Deborah Netburn, “Baby carriers: One size does not fit all”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 09...
Pronoun
shorty (third-person singular, feminine, nominative or objective case)
- Synonym of she or her, especially of a younger woman.
- Bell: Savino didn't tip you off to that bitch?
Wee-Bey: Pshh, wasn't no time for that. He get up out the car, we see him go up the block like we said, right? Pshh, after that, he outa sight, we bring it home like we planned, baby.
Bell: Well, shorty was a cop.2002 August 18, David Simon, Ed Burns, “The Hunt” (15:40 from the start), in The Wire, season 1, episode 11, spoken by Stringer Bell (Idris Elba), spoken by Wee-Bey Brice (Hassan Johnson) - Shorty really killed this 😭2023 February 5, Za Morant (@APotOfGold_), Twitter
- Synonyms:
- she or her
- Bell: Savino didn't tip you off to that bitch?
Proper noun capitalized: Shorty
Shorty
Examples of shorty in a sentence
- Ever since they introduced the world to Patrick Ewing and Michael Graham, Georgetown has been the Black school of choice for every shorty …1997, Robert Jackson, The Darkside: Chronicling the Young Black Experience, Noble Press Incorporated
- "It wasn't that fine ass shorty I saw in the car earlier?" Travis inquired.2015, Ashon Thadon, Unpunished: some deeds go that way, BookRix, →ISBN:
- My shorty called my baby moms, I'm in some shit, and all my real gear at shorty crib.2012, Edd Mcnair, Turning Point, Urban Books, →ISBN, page 42:
- I don't give a fuck, what he wants from me, I'll give him anything to get my shorty back, I swear, he better not have hurt or touched my shorty, or I'm a kill 'em when I see'em.2014, Antonio Harriston, Lust, Money, Envy, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 169:
Synonyms of shorty
- she or her
Forms of shorty
| plural | shorties |
|---|---|
| alternative form | shortie |
| alternative form | shawtie |
| alternative form | shawty |
Origin of shorty
From short + -y.
Proprialisation of shorty.
Words formed from shorty
Words that rhyme with shorty
Questions about shorty
- What does shorty mean?
- Shorty means something or someone that is shorter than normal.
- How do you use shorty in a sentence?
- Ever since they introduced the world to Patrick Ewing and Michael Graham, Georgetown has been the Black school of choice for every shorty …
- What part of speech is shorty?
- Shorty can be a noun, an adjective, a pronoun or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce shorty?
- Shorty is pronounced /ˈʃɔː.ti/ (UK).
- What is the plural of shorty?
- The plural of shorty is shorties.
Words near shorty in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: shorty (page history and authors); Shorty (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-shorty.ogg.
Cite this entry: “shorty.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/shorty. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.