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
Hot and humid weather generally decreases air density, helping the ball carry, while cold weather increases density and shortens flight.
—
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
They were also pruned sparingly, if at all, since pruning shortens the life of a birch.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
The deal, however, shortens the length of the contract from the typical three years to two years.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The Huajiang Canyon Bridge helps travelers avoid these risks and significantly shortens the route, reducing travel time across the valley to about two minutes.
—Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
But as of February, American Airlines introduced a new route that dramatically shortens the journey, cutting the travel time to under 20 minutes by air.
—Tiana Schippa, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
They were also pruned sparingly, if at all, since pruning shortens the life of a birch.
—Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 16 Apr. 2026
The deal, however, shortens the length of the contract from the typical three years to two years.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
The Huajiang Canyon Bridge helps travelers avoid these risks and significantly shortens the route, reducing travel time across the valley to about two minutes.
—Aman Kumar, Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
But as of February, American Airlines introduced a new route that dramatically shortens the journey, cutting the travel time to under 20 minutes by air.
—Tiana Schippa, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortens
Verb
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This ceiling reduces the effective tax benefit from 37% to 35%.—
Hayley Cuccinello,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
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This approach reduces the chance of a single point of failure bringing down an entire system and ensures appropriate AI boundaries that keep human intelligence at the center of business decisions that matter.—
Anita Beveridge-Raffo,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 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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By April and May, the shelf life decreases.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
20 Apr. 2026
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When timelines stretch over years, transaction certainty decreases, project economics weaken, and securing financing becomes more difficult.—
Dan Romito,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortens. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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