shorten
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to make or become short or shorter
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(tr) nautical to reduce the area of (sail)
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(tr) to make (pastry, bread, etc) short, by adding butter or another fat
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gambling to cause (the odds) to lessen or (of odds) to become less
Related Words
Shorten, abbreviate, abridge, curtail mean to make shorter or briefer. Shorten is a general word meaning to make less in extent or duration: to shorten a dress, a prisoner's sentence. The other three terms suggest methods of shortening. To abbreviate is to make shorter by omission or contraction: to abbreviate a word. To abridge is to reduce in length or size by condensing, summarizing, and the like: to abridge a document. Curtail suggests deprivation and lack of completeness because of omitting some part: to curtail an explanation.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shorten
Vocabulary lists containing shorten
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.
"However, given the nature of the matter, the EFL will ask the independent disciplinary commission to shorten the response period and to list a hearing at the earliest opportunity."
From BBC • May 8, 2026
The tool identified various combinations of factors such as pressure and temperature inside the drug’s manufacturing equipment that could be tweaked to shorten the process, said Scot Lindsey, senior vice president of manufacturing and quality.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
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
‘For tonight we go to the woods on the hills above Woodhall. It is some miles, but you shall have rest at the end of it, and it will shorten your journey tomorrow.’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
