From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishshortageshort‧age /ˈʃɔːtɪdʒ $ ˈʃɔːr-/●くろまる●くろまる○しろまる noun [countable, uncountable]ENOUGH#a situation in which there is not enough of something that people needSYN lackshortage ofa shortage of skilled labourThere is no shortage of funds.COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + shortagea severe/serious shortageThere is a serious shortage of food in some areas.an acute shortage (=very bad)They were suffering because of an acute shortage of doctors and nurses.a desperate/dire shortage (=very serious and worrying)There is a desperate shortage of fresh water in the disaster area.a chronic shortage (=very bad and existing for a long time)There is a chronic shortage of housing in rural areas.a growing shortage (=one that is increasing)The United States is facing a growing shortage of information technology workers.a general shortage (=a shortage of lots of different kinds of things or people)There was a general shortage of skilled workers.a national/world shortageThere is likely to be a world shortage of timber in the future.a water/food/housing etc shortageThe water shortage was reaching crisis proportions.a labour/manpower shortage (=a shortage of people to do work)During the war, there was a severe labour shortage, so women began doing jobs they had never done before.a staff shortage (=a shortage of people to work at a particular business)The company blamed staff shortages for the delays.verbscreate/cause a shortagePoor harvests could cause food shortages in the winter.lead to/result in a shortageThe strike led to serious shortages of fuel in some areas.face a shortage (=be likely to suffer a shortage)The refugees face desperate shortages of food and water.ease a shortage (=make it less serious)Building more houses will ease the shortage of accommodation.Examples from the Corpusshortage• Meanwhile job hunters have been complaining that there is a shortage of jobs.• There is a shortage of nurses and doctors in this area.• The accident, as it turns out, was a broken mirror and more than likely a shortage of time.• A mentally deficient or unstableindividual was not wanted on the line, even if there was a shortage of men.• There is no shortage of objections to both causalism and functionalism.• With critical power shortages throughout the region, the timing could not be worse for a loomingemergencydroughtdeclaration.• The drop in the birth rate 20 years ago has created a severeshortage of workers.• The main reason is the shortage of real attractions.• Parts of Britain are suffering water shortages after the unusually drysummer.shortage of• a severe shortage ofskilledlaborFrom Longman Business Dictionaryshortageshort‧age /ˈʃɔːtɪdʒˈʃɔːr-/ noun [countable, uncountable]a situation in which there is not enough of something that people need or wantWe suffer from a labor shortage.The real estate developer is facing an acute cash shortage.shortage ofThere was an energy crisis caused by a shortage of imported oil.There will be no shortage of applicants (=there will be a lot).