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Synonyms

short list

1 American  
Or shortlist

noun

  1. a list of those people or items preferred or most likely to be chosen, as winnowed from a longer list of possibilities.

short-list 2 American  
[shawrt-list] / ˈʃɔrtˌlɪst /

verb (used with object)

  1. to put on a short list.

short list British  

noun

  1. a list of suitable applicants for a job, post, etc, from which the successful candidate will be selected

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to put (someone) on a short list

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of short list

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Vinyl Room joins a short list of places where audiophiles can go to listen to music on hi-fi equipment, which many argue is the best way to experience it.

From Los Angeles Times

Carson admitted that when he was first applying for jobs "there was a short list of options".

From BBC

To cook the same thing repeatedly — to rely on a short list of meals that work — can begin to feel like a failure of imagination, or worse, a failure of love.

From Salon

There’s a special kind of comfort in having a short list of meals you know, with almost mathematical certainty, will land.

From Salon

Her recipe only calls for a short list of ingredients that also happen to be pantry staples.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.