Synonyms

shortcut

American

[shawrt-kuht] / ˈʃɔrtˌkʌt /

noun

a shorter or quicker way.
a method, procedure, policy, etc., that reduces the time or energy needed to accomplish something.
Computers.
1. a link to a software application, file, or website, usually represented as a graphical icon that can be clicked on to quickly access or open it.
  
  You can create a desktop shortcut to a web page you've visited.
2. Also called keyboard shortcut. hotkey.

adjective

constituting or providing a shorter or quicker way.

shortcut methods.

Etymology

Origin of shortcut

First recorded in 1560–70; short + cut

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.

Federal Reserve Governors Christopher Waller and Lisa Cook made clear Wednesday that the artificial intelligence boom isn’t a shortcut to lower interest rates.

From Barron's

You could, of course, build this blend from individual jars — thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne — but these pantry workhorses are weeknight shortcuts to complexity.

From Salon

Some think they may have found a shortcut: Buy a bank.

From The Wall Street Journal

But that was the summer I realized shortcuts weren’t a moral failure.

From Salon

Frozen food, in this context, isn’t just a shortcut.

From Salon

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