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Definitions

shorten

[shawr-tn] / ˈʃɔr tn /
VERB
diminish, decrease
Synonyms
STRONGEST
abbreviate compress curtail cut cut back cut down lessen minimize reduce shrink slash trim
STRONG
abridge bob chop clip condense contract dock edit elide excerpt lop retrench snip
WEAK
blue pencil boil down cut to the bone make a long story short put in a nutshell
Antonyms
STRONGEST
develop enlarge expand extend grow increase lengthen raise strengthen stretch
WEAK
amplify elongate

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.

This approach could also shorten cooking times, making it appealing for large-scale food production.

From Science Daily • Apr. 2, 2026

The fast-entry rule would shorten the time it takes for a newly public company to make the Nasdaq-100 roster to less than a month.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

“The biggest challenge for consumer product companies is, how do you shorten that innovation cycle,” and move into the marketplace quickly, said Burwick.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Most recently, complaints around the staccato beat from pickleball games prompted local authorities to shorten court hours and put out noise reminders.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Happily, there are tables and good approximations which can be used to shorten these calculations.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.