shortage

noun

USSHAWR-tij/ˈʃɔɹtɪd͡ʒ/SHAW-tij/ˈʃɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/

Pluralshortages

1 meaning of shortage

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A time when there is not enough of something that people need.
Like running out of cookies before everyone has had one.
The drought caused a shortage of clean water in the town.
There was a shortage of nurses at the hospital last winter.
Similarlack, scarcity, deficit, dearth, deficiency
Oppositesurplus, glut, abundance, excess

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Origin

From the word "short" plus the ending "-age".