Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Showing results for shorten. Search instead for schauerten.
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.

Businesses, he said, will need to consider whether it's worth the extra costs to shorten travel by just a few days.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

It also allowed them to shorten a movie that originally took more than three hours to cover the early days of the Jackson 5 through Jackson’s late career, yet still felt rushed, according to Fogelson.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

There was a machinery working to shorten his punishment.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Policymakers this week cited the impact of rising oil costs because of the Iran war, as countries have had to shorten workweeks, ration cooking fuel and find ways to subsidize the costs for their consumers.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

I’d sprinkled them with some cinnamon sugar, thinking they might shorten the walk home for two certain schoolkids.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Vocabulary lists containing shorten

Banned Book Week Words

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!