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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.

There was a machinery working to shorten his punishment.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Policymakers this week cited the impact of rising oil costs because of the Iran war, as countries have had to shorten workweeks, ration cooking fuel and find ways to subsidize the costs for their consumers.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

The use of robots like Carri could shorten response times on orders and free up delivery drivers to take on more jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

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

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

Vocabulary lists containing shorten

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