abbreviate

verb

ab·​bre·​vi·​ate ə-ˈbrē-vē-ˌāt 

abbreviated; abbreviating

transitive verb

: to make briefer

an abbreviated session

an abbreviated version of the story

especially : to reduce (a word or name) to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole

You can abbreviate the word building as bldg.

"United States of America" is commonly abbreviated to "USA."

abbreviator

ə-ˈbrē-vē-ˌā-tər 

noun

Did you know?

Abbreviate and abridge both mean "to make shorter," so it probably will come as no surprise that both derive from Latin brevis, meaning "short." Abbreviate first appeared in print in English in the 15th century and derives from abbreviātus, the past participle of Late Latin abbreviāre, which in turn can be traced back to brevis. Abridge, which appeared a century earlier, also comes from abbreviāre but took a side trip through the Anglo-French abreger before arriving in Middle English as abreggen. Brevis is also the ancestor of English brief itself, as well as brevity and breviary ("a prayer book" or "a brief summary"), among other words.

Synonyms

• shorten

Choose the Right Synonym for abbreviate

shorten, curtail, abbreviate, abridge, retrench mean to reduce in extent.

shorten implies reduction in length or duration.

shorten a speech

curtail adds an implication of cutting that in some way deprives of completeness or adequacy.

ceremonies curtailed because of rain

abbreviate implies a making shorter usually by omitting some part.

using an abbreviated title

abridge implies a reduction in compass or scope with retention of essential elements and a relative completeness in the result.

the abridged version of the novel

retrench suggests a reduction in extent or costs of something felt to be excessive.

declining business forced the company to retrench

Examples of abbreviate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bennett is a popular gender-neutral first name and can be abbreviated to Benny or Ben. —Kara Nesvig, Parents, 9 July 2025

Copyright is the subject of entire college courses, so keep in mind the following is heavily abbreviated. —Bryan West, USA Today, 13 June 2025

Mistress was abbreviated as Ms. So those who object to Ms. being too new a term are quite wrong. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 20 May 2025

The phrase – abbreviated as WCWGPLT – has shifted from snark to sting. —Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 4 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English abbreviaten, borrowed from Late Latin abbreviātus, past participle of abbreviāre "to make shorter" — more at abridge

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for abbreviate

• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate
• ameliorate

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Kids Definition

abbreviate

verb

ab·​bre·​vi·​ate ə-ˈbrē-vē-ˌāt 

abbreviated; abbreviating

: to make briefer : shorten

especially : to reduce (as a word) to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole

Etymology

Middle English abbreviaten "abbreviate," from Latin abbreviatus "made short," from abbreviare "to shorten," from earlier ad- "to" and brevis "short" — related to abridge, brief