abridge

play

verb \ ə-ˈbrij \

Definition of abridge

abridged; abridging

transitive verb

1 :to shorten by omission of words without sacrifice of sense :condense

abridge a novel

an abridged dictionary

2 :to shorten in duration or extent

Tess wished to abridge her visit as much as possible …
—Thomas Hardy

3 formal :to reduce in scope :diminish

attempts to abridge the right of free speech

4 archaic :deprive

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abridger

noun

See abridge defined for English-language learners

See abridge defined for kids

Examples of abridge in a Sentence

abridge a dictionary by omitting rare words
the library's hours have been drastically abridged to cut costs

Recent Examples of abridge from the Web

No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.

— randy barnett, Washington Post, "What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant," 4 July 2017
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.

— randy barnett, Washington Post, "What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant," 4 July 2017
And a waiting period of a few days won't abridge anyone's Second Amendment rights, either.

— michael k. mcintyre, cleveland.com, "Suicidal, she bought a gun, then returned it unused: Michael K. McIntyre," 14 May 2017
Perhaps members of the West Virginia Capitol Police need a refresher course in the Constitution, which expressly forbids government from abridging the freedom of the press.

— errol louis, CNN, "WV arrest casts a shadow over the Constitution," 12 May 2017
As others have rehearsed, the First Amendment forbids Congress to make a law that abridges the freedom of speech or of the press, that prohibits the right to assemble or to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

— walt hunter, The Atlantic, "The New Intellectuals," 8 May 2017
In this new edition of Viktor Frankl’s powerful 1946 Holocaust memoir, abridged for young readers and introduced by novelist John Boyne, the modern teenager will enter a crucible of violence and victimhood that was not in anyone’s head.

— meghan cox gurdon, WSJ, "The Best New Children’s Books," 28 Apr. 2017
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.

— george will, Twin Cities, "George Will: Questions for Judge Gorsuch," 19 Mar. 2017
A story abridged for any reason does Trump a favor.

— jia tolentino, The New Yorker, "How Educational Children’s Books Are Explaining President Trump," 13 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abridge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of abridge

Middle English abreggen, abriggen "to reduce, diminish, shorten," borrowed from Anglo-French abreger, going back to Late Latin abbreviāre, from Latin ad- ad- + breviāre "to shorten, abridge," verbal derivative of brevis "short" — more at ¹brief

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

abridge Synonyms

Synonyms

abbreviate, shorten, curtail, cut back, dock, elide, syncopate, truncate

Antonyms

elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract

Related Words

abstract, digest, encapsulate, epitomize, recapitulate, summarize, sum up; abate, compress, constrict, contract, cut, cut down, pare, prune, trim; decrease, de-escalate, deflate, diminish, downsize, dwindle, lessen, lower, moderate, modify, reduce, retrench, shrink, slash, subtract (from), taper

Near Antonyms

enlarge, expand, supplement; add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, dilate, escalate, heighten, increase, maximize, pump up, raise; blow up, distend, inflate, swell

Synonym Discussion of abridge

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

ABRIDGE Defined for Kids

abridge

play

verb \ ə-ˈbrij \

Definition of abridge for Students

abridged; abridging

:to shorten by leaving out some parts

abridge a dictionary

Law Dictionary

abridge

play

transitive verb \ ə-ˈbrij \

legal Definition of abridge

abridged; abridging

:to diminish or reduce in scope

no State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States
—U.S. Constitution amend. XIV

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