abridge
verb
\
Definition of abridge
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
Keep scrolling for more
Synonyms & Antonyms for abridge
Synonyms
abbreviate, curtail, cut back, dock, elide, shorten, syncopate, truncate
Antonyms
elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of abridge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Gabriel Gorodetsky’s edition — abridged and unabridged — is a work for the ages. — New York Times, "Niall Ferguson: By the Book," 11 Jan. 2018 Frazier added that Cruz is looking to find ways to prosecute those who buy guns illegally, address mental health issues and make sure crimes are reported to the NICS database without abridging the Second Amendment. — Jonathan Allen, NBC News, "Cruz caught in election-year bind on gun control," 5 Mar. 2018 Granted, his short speech inevitably abridged the long-form document. — David Frum, The Atlantic, "A National-Security Strategy Devoid of Values," 12 Dec. 2017 The couple has filed their own claim, alleging that Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John Russo's restraining order is abridging their free speech rights. — Phillip Morris, cleveland.com, "President Trump gave a speech on race and few people heard it: Phillip Morris," 13 Dec. 2017 The idea is to prevent companies from exporting surveillance software to authoritarian regimes that could use these tools to abridge civil liberties and abuse human rights. — Kendall Hoyt, Slate Magazine, "What Biosecurity and Cybersecurity Research Have in Common," 17 Mar. 2017 Editor’s note: In certain cases, daters’ answers have been abridged for space and clarity. — David Perloff, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Blind date: Beauty and the feast," 1 Nov. 2017 The liberal justices do not like government actions that abridge the liberties of thousands based on some arguably arbitrary classification. — Mark Joseph Stern, Slate Magazine, "The Department of Justice has four options to salvage Trump’s immigration ban. Only one makes sense.," 10 Feb. 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 2017These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for abridge
abridge
verb
\
Kids Definition of abridge
: to shorten by leaving out some parts abridge a dictionary
abridge
transitive verb
\
Legal Definition of abridge
: 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
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on abridge
What made you want to look up abridge? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share abridge
Resources for abridge