What does 'at short notice' mean?

What it means: With very little advance warning — less time than would normally be expected to prepare.

"She had to arrange the whole event at short notice."
"I'm sorry to call at such short notice, but can we meet today?"
"The meeting was called at very short notice."

What it implies: The situation didn't allow for the usual preparation time. The person or organisation had to act quickly, which may have affected quality or caused difficulty.

British vs American: "At short notice" is British English. Americans say "on short notice" — same meaning.

• "At a moment's notice" — immediately, with no warning at all
• "With little warning" — plain version
• "Last minute" — very informal, implies the latest possible moment

Register: Neutral to professional. Common in professional correspondence and conversation.

Tags: time expressions, British English, professional communication, everyday English