short-circuits

verb

present tense third-person singular of short-circuit
as in impedes
to create difficulty for the work or activity of for decades the maverick filmmaker was short-circuited by a chronic lack of funds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of short-circuits Deep familiarity often short-circuits game plans. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2026 Rent control short-circuits this process and discourages renovation and investment. — Editorial, Boston Herald, 27 May 2026 Nationalizing Intel, even partially, short-circuits this process. — Alden Abbott, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 Ventricular tachycardia is a super-fast heartbeat triggered when an electrical wave short-circuits in the organ’s bottom chambers, the ventricles, and prevents them from pumping blood out to the body. — ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026 Sooners kicker short-circuits Vols’ CFP hopes Sandell helped Oklahoma win with one of the greatest kicking performances in school history. — David Ubben, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025 This can happen when a battery cell short-circuits and creates a huge surge in temperature, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). — Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 18 Dec. 2025 Hyperspecialization short-circuits that mechanism. — Rachel Barr, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026 Trump and Kushner's real estate offensive, opaquely managed and crowded with fixers and still faceless figures, short-circuits with geopolitical and military ones, fuels suspicions and conspiracy theories. — Marzio G. Mian, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for short-circuits
  1. impedes
  2. hinders
  3. hampers
  4. obstructs
  5. embarrasses
Verb
  • Human existence senses that something impedes it from subsisting.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • While the technology assists in officiating and enhances live broadcasts, those sensors can also add uneven mass distribution that impedes a ball's movement in the air.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 June 2026
Definition of impedes
Verb
  • This systemic lack of dedicated time for preparation and collaboration undermines school improvement efforts, makes the teaching profession less attractive, and directly hinders high-quality instruction.
    — Peter Greene, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • This is due, in large part, to expectations of a strong El Niño, which traditionally hinders storm development.
    — Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 14 June 2026
Definition of hinders
Verb
  • Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 5 July 2026
  • Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.
    — KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 21 June 2026
Definition of hampers
Verb
  • Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.
    — KANSAS CITY STAR WEATHER BOT, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 3 July 2026
Definition of obstructs
Verb
  • Graft inquiry embarrasses Zelensky Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said in a Telegram announcement that the investigation into Yermak is ongoing.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
  • Now the technology embarrasses an umpire even more than a player could, and what’s the recourse?
    — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of embarrasses

Browse Nearby Words

short-circuiting
short-circuits
shortcoming
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Short-circuits.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/short-circuits. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All