shorten
Americanverb (used with object)
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shortens,
present (3rd person singular)
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shortened,
past participle, past
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shortening
present participle
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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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shortenernoun
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overshortenverb
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reshortenverb
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preshortenverb (used with object)
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undershortenverb (used with object)
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unshortenadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shortensimple
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shortenssimple
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have shortenedperfect
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has shortenedperfect
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am shorteningprogressive
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are shorteningprogressive
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is shorteningprogressive
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have been shorteningperfect progressive
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has been shorteningperfect progressive
Past
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shortenedsimple
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had shortenedperfect
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was shorteningprogressive
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were shorteningprogressive
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had been shorteningperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Carney has said that he aims to narrow the review process for projects and shorten the process to one year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
As the Sun gets lower in the sky and the days shorten, temperatures generally fall as we head further into autumn.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
By the time the district agreed to shorten the punishment, he’d already served 11 days.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
For Albano, Trent Park is "on a par in terms of the military intelligence that was gained and... was used by the British government to shorten the length of the Second World War".
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Specifically, the length would shorten as you moved away from the poles.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Their method dramatically shortens the processing required after a restoration comes out of the printer.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
That window shortens to one hour if air conditioning fails during summer heat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The problem, Shurety points out, is that longer fire seasons and more rain during cooler months shortens the window that such burns can be carried out.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
That approach shortens supply chains, satisfies local regulations, and stabilizes market access.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
Going downhill, she shortens her step, keeps centered, not leaning forward.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
He signed with World Wrestling Entertainment in 2012 and was given the name Adrian Neville, later shortened to just Neville.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Mild cognitive impairment, often shortened to MCI, describes measurable problems with memory or thinking that are greater than expected with normal aging but do not necessarily interfere substantially with everyday life.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
Johnson responded by announcing the end of the already shortened session.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
It has also shortened working hours and reduced the number of staff present in some locations.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
After homeroom we have a Thanksgiving assembly, and then the rest of our classes will be shortened.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
WIPO, the UN patent and innovation agency, said AI was shortening the paths of discovery and fuelling much of the world's economic growth.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
One phrase highlighted in her research is "incompetent cervix" used to describe the shortening of the cervix that can increase risks of pregnancy loss and early birth.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Chronic stress linked to everyday life may leave a lasting physical mark on the heart, potentially damaging cardiovascular health and shortening lifespan.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
Moreover, AI is shortening chip-design cycles and, sooner or later, this will lead to a return of the boom-and-bust cycle of the semiconductor industry, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
The recipe was guaranteed not to fail by the company which made the shortening.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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.
