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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That only increased existing scrutiny of Davis’ coaching decisions — such as shortening his second-half rotation to have four players play all 20 second-half minutes — as well as his terse and awkward responses afterward.—
Aaron Beard,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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And in August, the Department of Homeland Security proposed shortening the length of time foreign students could remain in the country.—
Lisa Song,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abbreviating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abbreviating. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
