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terse

[turs] / tɜrs /


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:

The minutes were shorter but not as terse as some economists feared, though some of the description of the discussions seemed truncated.

From MarketWatch Jul. 8, 2026

In rare cases, their votes are revealed in terse indications that they grant or deny the application, or even more rarely, as an opinion.

From Salon Jul. 3, 2026

US President Donald Trump on one occasion held a terse phone call with Netanyahu, in which he reportedly uttered an expletive.

From BBC Jun. 26, 2026

Instead of consulting, DHS sent a single terse email to the State Department, which did not even cover the topic of a country’s safety and instead asked about any general “foreign policy concerns.”

From Slate Jun. 25, 2026

“A bad year for ice” was the terse description Shackleton heard over and over.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

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

A wayfarer such as I am, may learn from Vincent Bourne, in words terser and neater than any of mine, the advantages of milestones properly arranged.

From The Works of Charles and Mary Lamb — Volume 6 Letters 1821-1842 by Mary Lamb

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

The tersest and most elegant author of it is in my opinion Tibullus.

From The History of Roman Literature From the earliest period to the death of Marcus Aurelius by Charles Thomas Cruttwell




Vocabulary lists containing terse


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