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Definitions

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.

Depending on how long the conflict lasts, however, some facilities could elect to shorten or postpone their usual May and June maintenance schedules, he said.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 19, 2026

They shorten phrases like "inclusive representation" to "inclush-representash" and urge her to adopt the hashtag "wheely in love" to help it go viral.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 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

She explained that these models could shorten the time needed to evaluate potential preventive therapies.

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2026

Once people began to produce food and become sedentary, they could shorten the birth spacing and produce still more people, requiring still more food.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.