shorten

verb

short·en | \ ˈshȯr-tᵊn

shortened; shortening\ ˈshȯrt-niŋ

, ˈshȯr-tᵊn-iŋ \

Definition of shorten

transitive verb

1a : to reduce the length or duration of

b : to cause to seem short

2a : to reduce in power or efficiency is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem — Isaiah 50:2 (Revised Standard Version)

b obsolete : to deprive of effect

3 : to add fat to (something, such as pastry dough) in order to make tender and flaky

intransitive verb

: to become short or shorter

Other Words from shorten Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about shorten

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Choose the Right Synonym for shorten

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 shorten in a Sentence

shorten a pair of pants He had to shorten the speech. “Franklin D. Roosevelt” is often shortened to “FDR.”

Recent Examples on the Web

The redirect links were operated by a link-shortening service called Rebrandly and have since been taken down, but USA Really articles corresponding to the archived links are readily accessible. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "Russian troll sites infiltrated Donald Trump subreddit as recently as this month," 24 Sep. 2018 To make the dough, in a mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, sugars, egg and vanilla extract well. — Rebekah Denn, The Seattle Times, "Kathy Casey, one of Seattle’s first celebrity chefs, lands in a sweet ‘food t’go-go’ niche at Sea-Tac Airport," 26 Mar. 2019 During times of high turbo boost, the VC-Turbo's engine management computer signals an electric motor to move an actuator arm that shortens the reach of the pistons inside the engine, which lowers the compression ratio to avoid knock. — Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, "How Infiniti's Variable-Compression Engine Works," 16 July 2018 The main reason is to rid the country of greedy people making money off the back of adorable puppies, and to shorten the leash on on backyard breeders who don’t follow good practices, such as vaccinating and providing health certificates. — Lauren Ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake up next to shut down retail stores selling puppies, and Orange should do it too," 4 May 2018 The game plan was being unselfish, shorten the game. — Dom Amore, courant.com, "UConn Men, Without Jalen Adams, Routed At Cincinnati, 77-52," 23 Feb. 2018 In an eyebrow-raising move, Disney made these changes to shorten lines at attractions, says Fortune—essentially, raising the prices so fewer people would attend during peak times. — Bridget Hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "Disney Is Raising Its Ticket Prices...Again," 12 Feb. 2018 The show had also been dogged by controversial attempts to shorten its runtime. — Aja Romano, Vox, "Oscars 2019: winners, nominations, and biggest moments," 12 Dec. 2018 Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said the Bedford Police transitioned to the State 911 Department’s Wireless Direct program, a new system that will shorten public safety response times during emergencies. — Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, BostonGlobe.com, "Bedford police modernize 911 system," 16 May 2018

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