terse
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Bank of America calculates this week’s Federal Open Market Committee statement explaining the decision to lift interest rates by a quarter-point as its most terse, at just 130 words, since 2007.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Supreme Court’s terse order agreed on both points.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026
The firm issued a terse statement Thursday, saying he and others were leaving for a “smaller platform,” and referencing the firm’s ambitious growth strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
On Dec. 23, 1996, the Los Angeles Times published a terse and callous article about the young man’s slaying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Judge Fielding’s announcement to the gathered court was terse.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Not exactly a warm embrace of the new Warsh Fed: terser “just the facts” statements, shorter news conferences, no forward guidance, and a no-nonsense message that there’s a new sheriff in town.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, whom I asked separately, had a terser response: “I’m gonna leave that to the medics.”
From Slate ● May 16, 2023
Some of his friends noticed a change in his writing style — a change that one scholar later described as a departure from “sustained argument and prolonged reflection” to a terser “telegram style.”
From Washington Post ● Dec. 29, 2022
His answers to questions have become terser, his mood darker.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 20, 2017
Literally, the meaning is, "They perish, and are set down to our account"; or, as they have been rendered in terser phrase, "They are wasted, and are added to our debt."
From Making the Most of Life by J. R. (James Russell) Miller
The tersest analysis of Christie’s entry in the race has come from Christie’s target, Trump.
From Slate ● Jun. 7, 2023
A man crying also furnishes the Bible with its shortest, tersest line: “Jesus wept.”
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 4, 2018
During a post-debate gaggle, the tersest Gillespie got was when a reporter tried to get clarity on whether he plans to invite Trump to the state.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 21, 2017
Mr. Tillerson is in many ways the personality opposite of Mr. Kerry: When asked a hard question he will offer the tersest answer possible, rather than attack with words.
From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2017
Mill expounded in the tersest form the doctrines which in Bentham's hands spread into endless ramifications and lost themselves in minute details.
From The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3) James Mill by Sir Leslie Stephen
Vocabulary lists containing terse
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Hunger Games
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
List 7
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
