as in to reduce
to make less in extent or duration
we decided to shorten the distance we had to walk home by cutting across the neighbor's lawn if Grandma has to go shopping today, you'll need to shorten your visit
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shorten
This interview has been edited and shortened for clarity.
—
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
The first trey — from one of Tyrese Haliburton’s 11 assists — shortened the deficit to 12 with 4:45 remaining.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
The league announced on May 15 a drastic move, shortening the schedule from three days to two while eliminating the men’s and women’s 5,000 meter run entirely.
—Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
Usually, with the man away from his toboggan, the wolves shorten their circle, moving in closer to the dogs and crossing the trail out of the man’s sight.
—Ted Updike, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shorten
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2025
The first trey — from one of Tyrese Haliburton’s 11 assists — shortened the deficit to 12 with 4:45 remaining.
—Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 22 May 2025
The league announced on May 15 a drastic move, shortening the schedule from three days to two while eliminating the men’s and women’s 5,000 meter run entirely.
—Cory Mull, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
Usually, with the man away from his toboggan, the wolves shorten their circle, moving in closer to the dogs and crossing the trail out of the man’s sight.
—Ted Updike, Outdoor Life, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for shorten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shorten
Verb
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With Bayern aiming to reduce their wage bill, the Wirtz signing would have come at the cost of at least an extra €20million (£16.8m, $22.7m) per year, on top of a transfer fee somewhere between €100m and €150m.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Their original sentences, which were 12 years and seven years, respectively, were reduced in September 2023.—
Esther Kang,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Ironically, Trump has simultaneously curtailed, and even effectively eliminated, any realistic path of asylum for refugees from Mexico, Central and South America.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 May 2025
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In 1917, Woodrow Wilson used the act to curtail the activities and speech of German citizens, leading to the internment of more than 6000 Germans, though they were provided with a hearing.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
23 May 2025
Verb
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However, this disconnect is limited to only a handful of scenes, since Kapoor’s role is truncated to the point of feeling perfunctory.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
21 May 2025
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One ideal that rung loudly at the presentation was that these students were unafraid to dream–rather than send designs down the runway that felt truncated, trendy or downright boring, the student designers chose an opposite route.—
Robyn Mowatt,
Essence,
20 May 2025
Verb
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This match was great, though appropriately abbreviated by interference from the Judgment Day, and ultimately from El Grando Americano.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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What Exactly Is the 'Color of the Year'? Trend-worthy, forward-thinking, beautiful, and livable—that’s how Kim describes the Color of the Year (often seen abbreviated as COTY).—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Old Globe San Diego, California Dates: June 8 to July 6, 2025, and July 27 to August 24, 2025 Modeled after the Old Globe in London, the Old Globe’s theater was built in San Diego’s Balboa Park in 1935 to present abridged Shakespeare during the California Pacific International Exposition.—
Ellen Carpenter,
AFAR Media,
19 May 2025
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Three firms have sued, arguing that the orders abridge constitutional rights to free speech, due process, and assistance of counsel.—
Henry Gass,
Christian Science Monitor,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Demis Hassabis Is Preparing for AI’s Endgame Another parallel can be drawn between Jeff and Amodei, an AI researcher who defected from OpenAI after becoming worried that the company was cutting back its safety measures, and then formed his own company, Anthropic.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
31 May 2025
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The government has long paid farmers to cut back on rice acreage, and change to other crops to keep rice prices relatively high.—
Mari Yamaguchi,
Christian Science Monitor,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shorten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shorten. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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