shortening

noun

short·​en·​ing ˈshȯrt-niŋ 

ˈshȯr-tᵊn-iŋ

1

: the action or process of making or becoming short

specifically : the dropping of the latter part of a word so as to produce a new and shorter word of the same meaning

2

: an edible fat used to shorten baked goods

Examples of shortening in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The native of Chicagoland made stops at four colleges, his trajectory interrupted midway through that journey by COVID, his fortunes impacted by the shortening of the MLB draft to five rounds. —Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 19 June 2025

Buffalo Wild Wings uses beef shortening made from beef fat to cook fries, tots, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders and wings. —Cheryl V. Jackson, Indianapolis Star, 11 Mar. 2025

Flour, sugar, and a lot of shortening or butter are all that’s required to make the most traditional shortbread. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024

For flakiness, there are still those who swear that shortening makes for the flakiest pie crust, which, more widely known by the brand name Crisco, is a solid fat made from primarily soybean and palm oils. —Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shortening

• foreshortening

Kids Definition

shortening

noun

short·​en·​ing

ˈshȯrt-niŋ,

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: a making or becoming short or shorter

2

: a fat (as butter or lard) used in baking especially to make pastry flaky or crumbly