as in abbreviation
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shortening
Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 15 Apr. 2026
Another major product was its shortening brand Crisco.
—Alexander Coolidge, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 10 May 2026
Part of that vision includes increasing how often NASA launches Artemis' Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — with the goal of shortening the gap between missions from a few years to about 10 months.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortening
Noun
This movement engages the quad concentrically, which means the muscles contract while shortening, Mann said.
—Julia Ries Wexler, Health, 15 Apr. 2026
Another major product was its shortening brand Crisco.
—Alexander Coolidge, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Verb
In the surgical procedure, a v-shape of the lower lid is removed thereby shortening the area and reducing the defect.
—Dr. John De Jong, Boston Herald, 10 May 2026
Part of that vision includes increasing how often NASA launches Artemis' Space Launch System (SLS) rocket — with the goal of shortening the gap between missions from a few years to about 10 months.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shortening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shortening
Noun
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This is the page in the racing program full of numbers, abbreviations and lines that looks intimidating at first.—
Neil Greenberg,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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Another downside is that many acronyms are not unique, so the same abbreviation can mean different things, even within a single field, said Kragh.—
Clarissa Brincat,
Big Think,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The majority-Republican House Committee on Appropriations proposed on Wednesday less extreme but still substantial cuts, slashing 20% from the agency and reducing funding to the state clean water programs by almost 25%.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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On the next play, an Evans flyout scored Rey, reducing the deficit to 6-3.—
Matt Murschel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Sideris said Duke was the first utility to require such curtailments from hyperscalers to get them onto the grid more quickly.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
25 Apr. 2026
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India is already rationing LNG supplies, according to a note S&P Global Energy shared with CNBC, which said power generation, refining, and petrochemicals are lower-priority sectors and therefore more exposed to curtailments.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But by the time Forrest reaches age 10, when dogs become eligible for Loyal’s pill, those defenses will more often misfire and fail to stop not just cancer but also other life-abbreviating ailments.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
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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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Officials said restructuring these into multiple contracts allows for greater competition within the contracting community and would speed up the entire process.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
20 May 2026
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It’s designed to diffuse special-interest power and eliminate politics from municipal hiring, firing and contracting.—
Daniel Borenstein,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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The longtime illusion of a mainstream industry involved truncating both ends of the bell curve, the radical and the mercenary.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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By 2027, software developers are expected to see a 3% job contraction due to AI coding capabilities, according to Labor Automation Forecasting Hub by Metaculus, a popular website where forecasters predict how AI will reshape the workforce.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 May 2026
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Wall sits build lower-body endurance, stability, and isometric strength through sustained muscle contraction without movement.—
Christa Sgobba,
Health,
19 May 2026
Verb
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In an interview about his 2022 book, How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates said that curtailing consumption to eliminate carbon emissions is of limited value.—
John Reid,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
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In a country that bills itself as a beacon of free speech, educational institutions especially should not be curtailing it.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shortening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shortening. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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