shorten

[shawr-tn] / ˈʃɔr tn /

VERB

diminish, decrease

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abbreviate compress curtail cut cut back cut down lessen minimize reduce shrink slash trim

STRONG

abridge bob chop clip condense contract dock edit elide excerpt lop retrench snip

WEAK

blue pencil boil down cut to the bone make a long story short put in a nutshell

Antonyms

STRONGEST

develop enlarge expand extend grow increase lengthen raise strengthen stretch

WEAK

amplify elongate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The fast-entry rule would shorten the time it takes for a newly public company to make the Nasdaq-100 roster to less than a month.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

However, weather conditions can shorten the process to four days or prolong it for as long as a month, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Telomeres are the protective ends of chromosomes that gradually shorten each time a cell divides.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

A senior associate dean at Rutgers told the American Medical Association in 2021, “It’s better, to me, to shorten the foundational science curriculum.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

“Felix prepaid for it all, so we can’t get our money back.”He didn’t mean to blame Felix, but he knew it would shorten the lecture.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

shorten

Example Sentences

Related Words