as in shortening
to make less in extent or duration
had to abbreviate his vacation in France in order to travel to Oslo to receive the Nobel Prize
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Recent Examples of abbreviating
Edo also followed Prince William and Kate Middleton's lead with the sweet sign off for his latest social post by abbreviating the children's first names with their initials to send an online message.
—
Janine Henni, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Janine Henni, People.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abbreviating
shortening
Verb
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But Fishman and Redford are far more interested in whiz-bang filters and digital effects, distractions to appeal to short-form entertainment devotees, which had the ironic side effect of wildly shortening my interest.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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Most of the speakers said the solution to lengthy meetings is to meet more often, as the commissioners used to, not shortening the number of times public commenters can sign up.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abbreviating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abbreviating. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
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