shorten

verb short·en \ ˈshȯr-tᵊn \

Definition of shorten

shortened; shortening play \ˈshȯrt-niŋ, ˈshȯr-tᵊn-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 a :to reduce the length or duration of

b :to cause to seem short

2 a :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

—

shortener

play \ˈshȯrt-nər, ˈshȯr-tᵊn-ər\ noun

See shorten defined for English-language learners

See shorten defined for kids

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 of shorten from the Web

In addition to reducing traffic, the Rematch feature seems likely to shorten wait times for people leaving the airport.

— lisa beebe, Los Angeles Magazine, "LAX Just Made It Easier to Catch a Lyft/Uber from the Airport," 30 Aug. 2017
Organoid culture time, which varies by cancer, must be shortened, and the cost, a few thousand dollars per patient, needs to come down.

— gunjan sinha, Science | AAAS, "This scientist is building miniature guts, livers, and lungs that could save your life one day," 23 Aug. 2017
The Mustangs – whose school name is also often shortened to Mervo – reached the Maryland 4A regional championship last season.

— john snodgrass, Cincinnati.com, "SOPL preview: Taft has eyes on November football," 7 Aug. 2017
The R&D investment has helped Kraft Heinz shorten the time to take an idea to market from one to two years to as little as six months.

— bryan gruley, Bloomberg.com, "Why the Hatchet Men of 3G Spent $10 Million on a Better Oscar Mayer Weiner," 2 Aug. 2017
Soon they were made with shortening, molasses, and sugar.

— alex beggs, Bon Appetit, "What Even Are Graham Crackers? And Why You Should Bake With Them," 24 July 2017
Together, these Allied advantages are thought to have shortened the war by as much as a year; the Central Powers might not have sued for a truce as soon as America entered the war, but fought on instead.

— The Economist, "If the Ottoman Empire had not collapsedHad the Ottoman Empire been saved rather than sunk," 13 July 2017
Some Republicans are making noise about shortening that respite, but doing so would be a step shy of sacrilege on Capitol Hill.

— alan fram, The Seattle Times, "Battles over health care, budget await Congress’ return," 10 July 2017
As investors, hedge funds are impatient, and, the argument goes, ruining the economy by shortening time horizons.

— mihir a. desai, The Atlantic, "Capitalism the Apple Way vs. Capitalism the Google Way," 10 July 2017

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.

First Known Use of shorten

14th century

shorten Synonyms

Synonyms

abbreviate, abridge, 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 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

SHORTEN Defined for English Language Learners

shorten

verb

Definition of shorten for English Language Learners

: to become shorter
: to make (something) shorter

SHORTEN Defined for Kids

shorten

verb short·en \ ˈshȯr-tᵊn \

Definition of shorten for Students

shortened; shortening

:to make or become short or shorter

I shortened my trip.

Learn More about shorten

See words that rhyme with shorten Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shorten Spanish Central: Translation of shorten Nglish: Translation of shorten for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shorten for Arabic speakers

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Definition of shorten

shortener

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Examples of shorten in a Sentence

Recent Examples of shorten from the Web

First Known Use of shorten

shorten Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of shorten

SHORTEN Defined for English Language Learners

shorten

Definition of shorten for English Language Learners

SHORTEN Defined for Kids

shorten

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