shortens

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.

See Examples For:

shortens

The high number of climbers has rekindled concerns about overcrowding on the mountain -- especially if poor weather shortens the climbing window.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

That means they will be hoping to come to an agreement with Red Bull that shortens that timeframe.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

The urgency has grown as his career runway shortens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026

This approach shortens processing time, increases accuracy and recovery, and streamlines sample preparation, contributing to safer and more efficient PAH analysis.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 1, 2025

Going downhill, she shortens her step, keeps centered, not leaning forward.

From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes