shortening 1 of 2

noun

Definition of shorteningnext
as in abbreviation

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shortening

2 of 2

verb

present participle of shorten
as in reducing
to make less in extent or duration we decided to shorten the distance we had to walk home by cutting across the neighbor's lawn if Grandma has to go shopping today, you'll need to shorten your visit

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shortening
Noun
Leaders can reduce transition tax by clustering similar work, shortening meeting chains, and creating reset rituals between modes. — Gerald J. Leonard, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 26 June 2026
Verb
The changes allow some large IPOs to become eligible for the Nasdaq-100 after just 15 trading days, dramatically shortening what had historically been a far longer waiting period. — Yun Li, CNBC, 27 June 2026 The powder will dry the rash in a way that wiping can’t do, shortening its life cycle. — Lauren Silbert, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for shortening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortening
  1. abbreviation
  2. reducing
  3. curtailment
  4. abbreviating
  5. contracting
  6. truncating
  7. contraction
  8. curtailing
Noun
  • The security service, also known by its local abbreviation SBU, said an officer serving in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confessed to killing Berezovska with the help of a former law enforcement officer.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 July 2026
  • The abbreviation dates to the early 20th century, and the spelling emcee emerged as the spoken form became a standalone noun and verb, meaning to host or present an event.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of abbreviation
Verb
  • Other, small local initiatives have recently been aimed at improving post-release support and reducing recidivism.
    — Amber Gaudet July 18, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026
  • Weakening high pressure to our east is slowly reducing scorching hot temperatures from earlier this week and diminishing the monsoonal moisture that provided unseasonable rain showers and thunderstorms.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of reducing
Noun
  • Such environmental waivers are not arbitrary decisions but legal mechanisms, ordered by local authorities, to prevent grid instability, for example when loss of wind generation would be exacerbated by curtailment of thermal plants.
    — Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • This can reduce the strain on the electric grid and help prevent the need for involuntary power curtailment or power brownouts, Holran notes.
    — Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 21 June 2026
Definition of curtailment
Verb
  • But by the time Forrest reaches age 10, when dogs become eligible for Loyal’s pill, those defenses will more often misfire and fail to stop not just cancer but also other life-abbreviating ailments.
    — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026
  • 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
Definition of abbreviating
Noun
  • In the process, longstanding federal contracting controls were set aside, no-bid contracts were awarded, and superficial cosmetic work was performed that staff warned would have to be redone.
    — Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
  • Based on a Facebook page for Mora’s contracting business, the real estate company only flipped one other property aside from Evangelista’s home.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of contracting
Verb
  • The Phillies are truncating his outings — his max pitch count has been 70 — to extend his season longer.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Those who show up late or not at all get removal orders, further truncating the already limited due process available to immigrants.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 26 May 2026
Definition of truncating
Noun
  • However, Ars Technica has suggested that contractions in the Russian economy led to very recent changes in the country's laws for space advertising that could lead to more examples like this.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 17 July 2026
  • But the contraction also follows one of the most extraordinary expansionary periods in the industry’s history.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of contraction
Verb
  • In 2018, the DNC reformed its primaries on Sanders’s preferred terms, curtailing the role of superdelegates.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 8 July 2026
  • Jin was detained with 17 other church leaders in October in one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades, raising worries over Beijing’s escalation in curtailing religious freedom.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 July 2026
Definition of curtailing

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shortened
shortening
shortenings
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Cite this Entry

“Shortening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortening. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on shortening

Nglish: Translation of shortening for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about shortening

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