Meanings
nounshort fuse (plural short fuses)
plural short fuses
- idiomaticThe personality trait of being quick to anger.
to be on a short fuse
2 more examples
Be careful of what you say; he has a short fuse.
In a few short years, she has sent two fiancés and various managers and flacks packing and earned a reputation as one of L.A.'s shortest fuses.
1993 November, Lynn Hirschberg, “Brat on a Hot Tin Roof”, in Vanity FairSynonyms: quick fuse, short temper
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe personality trait of being quick to anger.
Similar
quick fuseshort temper
Opposite
long fuseslow fuse
Also see
Translations
Portuguese pavio curto
- pavio curtoTranslations
Swedish kort stubin
- kort stubinTranslations
Cite this entry
APA
short fuse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/short%20fuse
MLA
“short fuse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/short%20fuse. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “short fuse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/short%20fuse.
Source: short fuse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.