as in reduces
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
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Recent Examples of shortens
Your jaw tightens, your heart races, your breathing shortens.
—
Jenna Ryu, SELF, 25 Mar. 2026
The change significantly shortens the timeframe for filing claims — meaning passengers must act quickly after arriving at their destination.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
That shortens the public comment period to 21 days instead of 45, meaning changes to project costs can be done faster, at the same speed as INDOT.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
The urgency has grown as his career runway shortens.
—Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
The new plan shortens the time between missions and redraws the map of which launches will achieve various program milestones.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images The law shortens the annual enrollment period for ACA marketplace coverage.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
Triarchy says the technology reduces water use by over 90 percent, eliminates toxic effluents, shortens production timelines and cuts costs.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
This reduces part count and shortens production timelines.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
Jenna Ryu, SELF, 25 Mar. 2026
The change significantly shortens the timeframe for filing claims — meaning passengers must act quickly after arriving at their destination.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
That shortens the public comment period to 21 days instead of 45, meaning changes to project costs can be done faster, at the same speed as INDOT.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
The urgency has grown as his career runway shortens.
—Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2026
The new plan shortens the time between missions and redraws the map of which launches will achieve various program milestones.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2026
Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images The law shortens the annual enrollment period for ACA marketplace coverage.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 6 Mar. 2026
Triarchy says the technology reduces water use by over 90 percent, eliminates toxic effluents, shortens production timelines and cuts costs.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
This reduces part count and shortens production timelines.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortens
Verb
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Lower-temperature graphite production The second pathway, discovered by NLR and NCSU, reduces the temperature required to produce the mineral.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Mar. 2026
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By revitalizing dormant follicles and promoting the transition from the telogen phase back to anagen, minoxidil reduces the overall quantity of hair lost.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Advertisement The court's decision not only curtails a policy Trump has repeatedly credited with strengthening American leverage abroad, but also carries major financial and legal consequences.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
20 Feb. 2026
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Think of this as the pessimistic, narrower option, where the greenhouse effect curtails the zone's inner edge and the loss of carbon dioxide from a planetary atmosphere marks its outer edge.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s a tactic city financers used on several other bond projects as well, said Molly Scarbrough, a deputy program manager for the Denver GO Bond Program, which abbreviates general obligation bond.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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This slightly decreases the total mass of objects in interplanetary space — the material and space between planets — while slightly increasing the masses of the planets themselves.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortens. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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