not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; less than is wanted for the purpose; scanty; meager; not enough; as, a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment.-sparing; parsimonious; chary.-to limit; to straiten; to treat illiberally; to stint; as, to scant one in provisions; to scant ourselves in the use of necessaries.-to cut short; to make small, narrow, or scanty; to curtail.-to fail, or become less; to scantle; as, the wind scants.-in a scant manner; with difficulty; scarcely; hardly.-scantness; scarcity.