as in abbreviation
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Dissimilar Words
as in reducing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shortening
Md Published, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2026
This shortening interval raises fears that human experts may end up merely approving recommendations generated by algorithms.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
Lisa Song, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
The Tar Heels faded badly in the VCU game, with Davis shortening his rotation to keep four players on the floor for the entire second half while another played 15 minutes.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortening
Noun
Penile length shortening is also common following prostatectomy/pelvic surgery.
—Md Published, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2026
This shortening interval raises fears that human experts may end up merely approving recommendations generated by algorithms.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
And in August, the Department of Homeland Security proposed shortening the length of time foreign students could remain in the country.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
The Tar Heels faded badly in the VCU game, with Davis shortening his rotation to keep four players on the floor for the entire second half while another played 15 minutes.
—ABC News, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortening
Noun
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The party is an Iranian-Kurdish nationalist separatist group known by the local abbreviation PAK.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The abbreviation served as camouflage.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One bill focuses on reducing construction costs by updating building codes.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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While these methods remain effective, excessive tilling can break down soil aggregates into smaller particles, reducing soil health and increasing erosion risk.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The disruption reflects a broader curtailment of Holy Week traditions.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
29 Mar. 2026
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The management plan outlines when and how those curtailments occur.—
Alex Driggars,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Edo also followed Prince William and Kate Middleton's lead with the sweet sign off for his latest social post by abbreviating the children's first names with their initials to send an online message.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
9 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In a Friday letter to trustees, adviser Luz Cazares wrote that contracting with HYA was inconsistent with the district’s financial recovery.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
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Acquisition officials warned at the time that the policy risked slowing down routine purchasing and urgent buys alike, especially during DHS's busiest contracting period.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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African American Language also tends to have nuance in its tense structure, incorporating modifiers and unique contractions.—
Moriah Humiston,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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However, the purely gravitational effects that work on spacetime itself, affecting its curvature, expansion, contraction, or evolution, should affect gravitational waves just as significantly as light gets affected.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Over more than 50 years, each new presidential administration has reassessed the place of spaceflight among its priorities, either encouraging or curtailing NASA’s efforts to return humans to the lunar surface.—
Emily A. Margolis,
The Conversation,
31 Mar. 2026
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The closing of the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic and attacks on energy sites across the Gulf are curtailing supplies and driving up the prices of key global commodities.—
Robert Tuttle,
Bloomberg,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Concacaf is not the only confederation squeezing games into FIFA windows around the club calendar.—
Tamerra Griffin,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Hassan’s team instead squeezed a photon’s intensity and demonstrated real-time control, fluctuating between intensity and phase-squeezing by adjusting the silica’s position relative to the beams.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortening. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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