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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in abridgement
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shortening
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Unlike the typical butter-and-water combo, the bakery uses a blend of vegetable shortening and milk, which keeps the crust extra flaky and tender, perfect for holding any filling.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
But warming is disrupting this balance, reducing snowfall, shortening the precipitation season, and in some cases shifting it from snow to rain.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortening
Verb
After a four-year period, the people taking vitamin D showed less than half of the telomere shortening than the placebo group.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2025
Unlike the typical butter-and-water combo, the bakery uses a blend of vegetable shortening and milk, which keeps the crust extra flaky and tender, perfect for holding any filling.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
The Railroad Commission approved the permit without shortening its duration.
—ProPublica, 4 Sep. 2025
But warming is disrupting this balance, reducing snowfall, shortening the precipitation season, and in some cases shifting it from snow to rain.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shortening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortening
Verb
-
The confirmation came just two days before the Fed is expected to vote on reducing its key interest rate.—
Adeola Adeosun
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Every action counts, whether reducing HFCs, investing in sustainable cooling, or holding governments accountable for climate commitments.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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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Before the abbreviation stuck, the property was known as the Kildare Hotel and Golf Club.—
Mike Dojc,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
These terms are abbreviations for probability: a 10-year flood is a volume of flow that occurs on average once every 10 years, based on the records of flow for that stream.—
Ellen Wohl
August 20,
Literary Hub,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The move to question Europe’s harsh CO2 curtailment rules coincides with Trump Administration efforts to terminate rules based on the case that CO2 is a danger to public health These rules form the basis for U.S. greenhouse gas regulations.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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The curtailment of academic freedom, the deportation of foreign students, the banning of protests: all of this is being done under the pretext of protecting Jews, who alone are entitled to protections that other groups apparently don’t merit.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Polls show that Farage's Reform UK party, which has focused its political platform on curtailing immigration, surged in popularity and would likely win an election if held today.—
Kim Hjelmgaard,
USA Today,
17 Sep. 2025
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The quarterly rebalanced mixture of large-, mid- and small-cap RV Portfolio stocks provided an agile way to capitalize on favorable market conditions while curtailing losses when markets decline, as outlined in RV Portfolio performance metrics.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Economists and researchers agreed that a healthy economy encourages families to have more children to reproduce, while a contracting economy can lead some families to hold off on children.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Sep. 2025
-
In government contracting, where bids are competitive and profitability is not always a factor, this model persists.—
Ryan Gray,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At a time when America’s film and television industry is still struggling due to globalization and industry contraction, further unnecessary job losses only make a bad situation worse.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
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Formed the same way that all stellar and planetary systems form, our own Solar System formed from the contraction of a molecular cloud that triggered new star formation, giving rise to the Earth, the Sun, and more.—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Scott's expertise in embellishment and her ability to execute it in the most chic way prevailed; whether as crystal beading on the cape-style lapel of a jacket, a delicate fur-like fringe in neon green flanking a black dress, or a tubular velvet rope trimming the edges of tank-style pieces.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
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Something as simple as trimming nails or cutting hair also takes on new challenges, as without gravity, every tiny clipping would drift around, potentially clogging equipment or entering astronauts' eyes or lungs.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shortening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortening. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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