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 package would allow developers to build housing with fewer parking spaces and would shorten timelines for construction-permit reviews.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Eccentric exercise focuses on the phase when muscles lengthen rather than shorten.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2026

Businesses, he said, will need to consider whether it's worth the extra costs to shorten travel by just a few days.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

There was a machinery working to shorten his punishment.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

“By raising the left side,” he says, “I’ll know how much I have to shorten the pylon.”

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

Vocabulary lists containing shorten

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shorten

Example Sentences

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Vocabulary lists containing shorten

Banned Book Week Words