From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe shy (of something)be shy (of something)especially American EnglishENOUGH#LESS to have less than a particular amount of something The Democrats are three votes shy of a majority. Jessica died Monday. She was one week shy of her 13th birthday. → shy
Examples from the Corpus
be shy (of something)• It's no good taking a girl to bed if she is shy..• I was shy about meeting the man who had come to visit.• Her eyes were shy and looked away from him as he took the paper.• Kritzer, however, said most of the mainstream media are shying away from it.• You may be shy, but good oral communications are a key business skill.• The Democrats are three votes shy of a majority.• She was one week shy of her twentieth birthday when she got married.• We must also avoid branch meetings seem like a gathering of old chums into which an outsider might be shy of intruding.• I was shy of undressing in front of adults. 