shortening

American  

[shawrt-ning, shawr-tn-ing] / ˈʃɔrt nɪŋ, ˈʃɔr tn ɪŋ /

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used to make pastry, bread, etc., short.

2. Phonetics. the act, process, or an instance of making or becoming short.

3. Linguistics.

   1. the act or process of dropping one or more syllables from a word or phrase to form a shorter word with the same meaning, as in forming piano from pianoforte or phone from telephone.

   2. clipped form.

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shortening British  

/ ˈʃɔːtənɪŋ /

noun

1. butter, lard, or other fat, used in a dough, cake mixture, etc, to make the mixture short

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Etymology

Origin of shortening

First recorded in 1535–45; shorten + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

While shortening attention spans may be to blame for the shift in literature, Huehls argues that some writers are intentionally engaging with it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

During Matt Amodio’s 38-game streak, many fans chafed over his method of shortening “What is…?” to “What’s…?” even when the response involved a person.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

“Investors are shortening up, staying safe and waiting for clarity,” said Matt Wrzesniewsky, head of fixed-income client-portfolio management at Vanguard.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

HKEx is also dedicated to improving its market's structure and efficiency, including shortening stock clearing time, she said.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

Though my legs had not quite recovered, by shortening my stirrups and leaning back in the saddle, I could ride without too much discomfort.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood