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
Using Samaniego to start the game, though, shortens an already thin bullpen.
—
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 29 May 2026
This shortens interconnect lengths, increase data speeds, reduce latency, and lower power consumption.
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 27 May 2026
Strong credibility reduces friction, shortens evaluation cycles and makes choices easier.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
High heat causes coatings to degrade faster and shortens the lifespan of the pan dramatically.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
High heat breaks down coatings faster and shortens the life of the pan.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
All this interconnectivity shortens leads times, allowing for quicker iterations and faster trend response.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 May 2026
The moonless nights of mid-May are a fantastic time to spot the glowing band of the Milky Way arching across the spring sky, before the encroaching twilight of the summer months shortens the viewing window.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 8 May 2026
The new, shorter course (who comes in and shortens a course?
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 29 May 2026
This shortens interconnect lengths, increase data speeds, reduce latency, and lower power consumption.
—Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 27 May 2026
Strong credibility reduces friction, shortens evaluation cycles and makes choices easier.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
High heat causes coatings to degrade faster and shortens the lifespan of the pan dramatically.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 May 2026
High heat breaks down coatings faster and shortens the life of the pan.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
All this interconnectivity shortens leads times, allowing for quicker iterations and faster trend response.
—Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 18 May 2026
The moonless nights of mid-May are a fantastic time to spot the glowing band of the Milky Way arching across the spring sky, before the encroaching twilight of the summer months shortens the viewing window.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 8 May 2026
The new, shorter course (who comes in and shortens a course?
—Moira McCarthy, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortens
Verb
-
Building on its successful rollout in Brazil, Juspay is expanding Click to Pay globally to eliminate manual card entry, which minimizes checkout friction, reduces cart abandonment and boosts conversion rates.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
4 June 2026
-
Maintaining your yard by mowing, removing leaf litter, and trimming vegetation reduces tick habitats.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
India’s neighbors are seeking additional fuel from New Delhi as the war in the Middle East curtails access to energy supplies from the Persian Gulf, giving Asia’s third-largest economy an opportunity to build goodwill across the region.—
Swati Gupta,
Bloomberg,
13 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
-
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
-
Plan to mow every week until the day length decreases in late October and cold temperatures set in.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
-
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortens. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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