truncate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
truncates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
truncated,
past participle, past
-
truncating
present participle
-
to shorten by cutting off a part; cut short.
Truncate detailed explanations.
- Synonyms:
- abbreviate, curtail, trim, abridge
-
Mathematics, Computers. to shorten (a number) by dropping a digit or digits.
The numbers 1.4142 and 1.4987 can both be truncated to 1.4.
adjective
-
Biology.
-
square or broad at the end, as if cut off transversely.
-
lacking the apex, as certain spiral shells.
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verb
adjective
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cut short; truncated
-
biology having a blunt end, as though cut off at the tip
a truncate leaf
Usage
What does truncate mean? Truncate means to shorten something by removing part of it. You can truncate something by removing the beginning of it, the end of it, the top of it, or another part of it. In scientific and medical contexts, truncating often involves cutting off a part of something in a way that’s parallel to its base (or perpendicular to its side). In the context of math, to truncate is to shorten a number by dropping some of the digits after the decimal place. For example, 1. 524 can be truncated to 1. 5. Less commonly, truncate can be used as an adjective with the same meaning as truncated—shortened, as if having had a portion cut off. Example: When they originally released the movie, they truncated the ending, but they’re planning to release the full version soon.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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truncatesimple
-
truncatessimple
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have truncatedperfect
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has truncatedperfect
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am truncatingprogressive
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are truncatingprogressive
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is truncatingprogressive
-
have been truncatingperfect progressive
-
has been truncatingperfect progressive
Past
-
truncatedsimple
-
had truncatedperfect
-
was truncatingprogressive
-
were truncatingprogressive
-
had been truncatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of truncate
1480–90; < Latin truncātus (past participle of truncāre to lop), equivalent to trunc ( us ) trunk + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
The verb truncate means "to cut off or shorten." You can truncate a board that is too long using a power saw, a chain saw, or perhaps even a karate kick. The word truncate is from a Latin word, truncare, which means "to maim or to cut off." Although this brings to mind a more grisly image ("truncate a limb in an accident"), you can actually truncate things that are not related to anatomy. You could truncate an essay by omitting a paragraph or two, or you could even truncate your vacation in Belize by heading home early.
Vocabulary lists containing truncate
"Why Read Shakespeare?" Vocabulary from the argument
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "T"
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The Number System
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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:
They are rewriting course material and asking students to truncate class discussions about race and sex, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
But the constitutional terrain would shift in one essential respect: Courts would no longer be permitted to truncate the narrative.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2025
“In order to do a new rule or undo an old rule, you still have to go through the rulemaking process. I suspect they’re going to try to truncate that in some way.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2024
"We shall continue to protect the peace and security of Sierra Leone against the forces that wish to truncate our much-cherished stability," Bio said in message posted on the president's X social media account.
From Reuters ● Nov. 26, 2023
He pointed out that it was relatively easy to pronounce, though there was the danger that Americans, obsessed with abbreviation, would truncate it to Nick.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
“It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2023
This low carbon-use efficiency substantially truncates the CO2-fertilization effect.
From Nature ● Apr. 7, 2020
In short, Fea’s individualist focus truncates his analysis repeatedly throughout his book, despite his clear understanding and concern for the importance of community.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2018
She truncates her home-town visit and dashes back to Romania to return to work, where she’s preparing a plan for an oil company to outsource labor and throw employees out of work.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 21, 2016
In these Cretaceous genera, toothed and toothless alike, the articulation for the upper arm bone truncates the extremity of the coracoid, so that the bone is less like that of a bird in this feature.
From Dragons of the Air An Account of Extinct Flying Reptiles by H. G. Seeley
Lithwick: Chase decided, in a very truncated opinion, that Turner’s apprenticeship violated the 13th Amendment’s prohibition of involuntary servitude and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
The minutes were shorter but not as terse as some economists feared, though some of the description of the discussions seemed truncated.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
It jumped 1.1%, following two down sessions to end the truncated week heading into the July 4 weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
The impact for third-placed teams is greater in this truncated tournament, with no rest days before the knockout rounds begin.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
The young scientists’ expectation was that Swann would escort them around Europe, introducing them to his friends and acquaintances among the eminent figures of European science in a sort of belated and truncated Studienreise.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
In a world where everyone wants to stay ahead of the truncating trend cycle, customization has become king, which makes the flavor-specificity of a refresher feel far more worth the money.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
Outside of truncating his foreign travel, Mr. Biden also agreed to cut other congressional leaders out of the debt-limit negotiations and deal directly with the speaker.
From Washington Times ● May 16, 2023
A spokesman for the committee acknowledged truncating the text and apologized for doing so.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2022
In the realm of data visualization, the segment on misleading axes presents a chart titled “Is truncating the Y-axis misleading?”
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2017
In approaching the first plateau formed by the truncating of the lower cone, the difficulties of the ascent were very great.
From The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
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.
