shortage

shortage — noun

1. A shortage happens when the amount or supply of something — such as food, water,

1.nounB2
Definition

A shortage happens when the amount or supply of something — such as food, water, housing, or workers — is less than what people need or want.

Example

The city is facing a severe housing shortage because more people are moving in every year.

collocation: severe + shortage / housing + shortage

Noor's family could not find fresh vegetables at the market due to the water shortage.

Common collocations
  • severe shortage
  • acute shortage
  • chronic shortage
  • growing shortage
  • water shortage
  • food shortage
  • housing shortage
  • labour shortage
  • fuel shortage
  • staff shortage
  • shortage of funds
  • shortage of skilled workers
Synonyms
  • lack

    More general and can mean a complete absence (a lack of evidence), whereas shortage implies some amount exists but not enough.

  • scarcity

    More formal and often suggests natural or structural limitation rather than temporary insufficiency.

  • deficit

    Used mostly in financial or technical contexts such as budgets or trade; more specific than shortage.

Antonyms
  • surplus

    An amount that is more than what is needed — the direct opposite of shortage.

  • abundance

    A large quantity that is more than enough, often suggesting plenty.

Grammar Patterns

shortage + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Shortage is usually followed by 'of' to specify what is lacking: a shortage of water, a shortage of doctors. It is often used with adjectives like 'severe', 'acute', 'chronic', or 'growing' to describe the extent or seriousness of the shortfall.

Common Mistakes

There is a shortage water in the region.
There is a shortage of water in the region.
shortage requires the preposition 'of' before the thing that is lacking.
The factory closed because of shortage workers.
The factory closed because of a shortage of workers.
when countable, shortage needs an article (a/the) before it, and 'of' before the noun.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Shortage, lack, scarcity, deficit, and dearth all describe a situation where something is not available in sufficient quantity. Shortage is the most common and neutral term, used for everything from water to staff (a water shortage, a housing shortage). Lack is broader — it can mean a complete absence (a lack of evidence), whereas shortage implies some exists but not enough. Scarcity is more formal and often suggests natural or structural limitation (the scarcity of clean water in the region). Deficit is used in technical or financial contexts (a budget deficit, a trade deficit). Dearth is a more literary word meaning a severe shortage (a dearth of good ideas). Use shortage for everyday situations; use lack when the absence is near-total; use scarcity for formal or environmental contexts.

lack ↗scarcitydeficit ↗dearth

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Shortage comes from the adjective 'short' (from Old English 'sceort', meaning not long, insufficient) combined with the suffix '-age', which forms nouns indicating a condition or amount (borrowed from Old French through Middle English). The word has been used since the 1600s to describe a lack or deficiency in quantity.