shortcut
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shawrtkuhtSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈʃɔɹtkət
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths.
A method to accomplish something that omits one or more steps.
computingin the Microsoft family of operating systems
A file that points to the location of another file and serves as a quick way to access it.
verb
To take or use a shortcut
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths.
Used this way, shortcut is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- cutoff , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use shortcut
- “We took a muddy shortcut through the park to get home faster.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.