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

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

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America prohibits states from making or enforcing any law that would abridge the privileges of any U.S. citizen.

— brittney mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Conservative Legislators Are Trying to Pass a State-Sanctioned Discrimination Act", 21 Dec. 2016
Gun-rights supporters say self-defense is a fundamental right that is improperly abridged by a duty to retreat in the face of danger.

— joe palazzolo, WSJ, "Florida Sees Killings Increase After Passage of ‘Stand Your Ground’ Gun Law, Study Says", 26 Nov. 2016
There may be cases of juror bias so extreme that, almost by definition, the jury trial right has been abridged.

— garrett epps, The Atlantic, "Should Racism in the Jury Room Lead to a New Trial?", 4 Oct. 2016
To punish the exercise of this right to discuss public affairs or to penalize it through libel judgments is to abridge or shut off discussion of the very kind most needed.

— margaret talbot, The New Yorker, "Trump and the Truth: The “Lying” Media", 28 Sep. 2016
The First Amendment only protects you from having the government abridge your speech.

— karen huppertz, ajc, "Can you be fired for trashing your boss on social media in Georgia?", 18 Mar. 2016
A world where no man may abridge the liberty of another.

— bruce sterling, WIRED, "Hackers are writing much better press releases these days.", 26 Jan. 2013

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

First Known Use: 14th century

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