shorten

American  

[shawr-tn] / ˈʃɔr tn /

verb (used with object)

1. to make short or shorter.

   Synonyms:

   restrict, limit, lessen, condense

2. to reduce, decrease, take in, etc..

   to shorten sail.

3. to make (pastry, bread, etc.) short, as with butter or other fat.

4. Sports. choke.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to become short or shorter.

   Synonyms:

   lessen, contract

2. (of odds) to decrease.

shorten British  

/ ˈʃɔːtən /

verb

1. to make or become short or shorter

2. (tr) nautical to reduce the area of (sail)

3. (tr) to make (pastry, bread, etc) short, by adding butter or another fat

4. 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

• overshorten verb
• preshorten verb (used with object)
• reshorten verb
• shortener noun
• undershorten verb (used with object)
• unshorten adjective

Etymology

Origin of shorten

First recorded in 1505–15; short + -en ¹

Example Sentences

A frontside spin, shortened to 'front', is set from the heel edge and sees the rider's chest facing uphill for the first part of the trick.

From BBC

Alibaba made its announcement after the close of half-day trading in Hong Kong, which was shortened due to Lunar New Year’s Eve.

From Barron's

Alibaba made its announcement after the close of half-day trading in Hong Kong, which was shortened due to Lunar New Year’s Eve.

From Barron's

Treasury yields declined following softer-than-expected U.S. consumer price index gains and ahead of a shortened week featuring the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge.

From The Wall Street Journal

A senior associate dean at Rutgers told the American Medical Association in 2021, “It’s better, to me, to shorten the foundational science curriculum.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• abbreviate
• compress
• curtail
• cut
• cut back
• cut down
• lessen
• minimize
• reduce
• shrink
• slash
• trim