shorten

verb

short·​en ˈshȯr-tᵊn How to pronounce shorten (audio)
shortened; shortening ˈshȯrt-niŋ How to pronounce shorten (audio)
ˈshȯr-tᵊn-iŋ

transitive verb

1
a
: to reduce the length or duration of
b
: to cause to seem short
2
a
: to reduce in power or efficiency
is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeemIsaiah 50:2 (Revised Standard Version)
b
obsolete : to deprive of effect
3
: to add fat to (something, such as pastry dough) in order to make tender and flaky

intransitive verb

: to become short or shorter
shortener
ˈshȯrt-nər How to pronounce shorten (audio)
ˈshȯr-tᵊn-ər
noun
Choose the Right Synonym for shorten

shorten, curtail, abbreviate, abridge, retrench mean to reduce in extent.

shorten implies reduction in length or duration.

shorten a speech

curtail adds an implication of cutting that in some way deprives of completeness or adequacy.

ceremonies curtailed because of rain

abbreviate implies a making shorter usually by omitting some part.

using an abbreviated title

abridge implies a reduction in compass or scope with retention of essential elements and a relative completeness in the result.

the abridged version of the novel

retrench suggests a reduction in extent or costs of something felt to be excessive.

declining business forced the company to retrench

Examples of shorten in a Sentence

shorten a pair of pants He had to shorten the speech. “Franklin D. Roosevelt” is often shortened to “FDR.”
Recent Examples on the Web The Senate bill would shorten the time between violations from five years to one year, change the criminal punishment to be a third-degree felony and would increase the fine limits to no less than $2,500 and no more than $4,000. Alyssa Johnson, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 Britt Reid, the son of Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, has had his DUI sentence shortened three years after severely injuring a young girl in a car crash. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Law firms with lengthy multi-name titles frequently get shortened to just the first name in their title. Chris Deubert, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 This conversation was shortened and edited for length and clarity. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Calls to shorten the working week have multiplied in recent years. Olesya Dmitracova, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 During the interim period, the application form was shortened from 28 questions to eight questions. Riley Robinson, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Feb. 2024 Stephens and sympathetic letter-writers don’t realize that each such letter lends support to Hamas, extending rather than shortening the invasion, tending to worsen rather than alleviate conditions in Gaza. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 After the 2020 harvest, James shortened the aging process and refocused the blending on a more specific subsoil delineation. Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shorten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of shorten was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near shorten

Cite this Entry

“Shorten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shorten. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

shorten

verb
short·​en ˈshȯrt-ᵊn How to pronounce shorten (audio)
shortened; shortening ˈshȯrt-niŋ How to pronounce shorten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
1
: to make or become short or shorter
2
: to add shortening to (as pastry dough)
shortener
-nər How to pronounce shorten (audio)
-ᵊn-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on shorten

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