ˈshȯrt ə n, -ȯ(ə)t ə n verb
( shortened ; shortened ; shortening -t( ə )niŋ ; shortens )
Etymology: short (I) + -en
transitive verb
1.
a. : to make short or shorter : reduce the length or duration of
shorten the roads that lead to a profession — J.B.Conant
voted to shorten the firm name — Wall Street Journal
shorten a dangerous and costly war — D.H.McLachlan
b. : to cause to seem short
have tried to shorten or to enliven the tedium of waiting — C.E.Montague
many a long night he shortened for us with his stories and songs — Michael O'Reilly
c. : to cut down in amount or extent : lessen
found their pleasures shortened by emptiness of purse — J.A.Froude
d. : to cut back (a shoot) in pruning
2.
a. : to reduce in power or efficiency
is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem — Isa 50:2 (Revised Standard Version)
b. obsolete : to deprive of effect
to be known shortens my made intent — Shakespeare
c. : to prevent from securing
3. : to get a closer grip on : grasp nearer the middle
shortened his bat
4. : to put into smallclothes
5. : to make crumbly
shorten pastry with butter
intransitive verb
1. : to become short or shorter
when lazy summer days begin to cool and shorten — Hugh Cave
2. of betting odds : decrease , lower
looked quickly at the betting … six to one, shortening to eleven to two — Robert Westerby
Synonyms:
curtail , abbreviate , abridge , retrench : these verbs have in common the sense of to reduce in extent, especially by cutting. shorten commonly implies reduction in length or duration
shorten a rope
shorten a war
shorten the pain by administering drugs
shorten a life
curtail generally adds to shorten the idea of docking, a cutting that in some way deprives of completeness
emergency orders drastically curtailing the use of fuel — Current Biography
the country editor curtailed his contributions on large issues — American Guide Series: Minnesota
abbreviate implies a making shorter usually by omitting some part or cutting off some normally following part; thus, one abbreviates a word or phrase by cutting out or cutting off letters in such a way that the remaining part stands for the whole
abbreviate the name Shakespeare to Shak.
a … man of great physical strength and energy, though of abbreviated intelligence — W.L.Shirer
abridge , sometimes interchangeable with shorten and curtail
abridge visiting hours at the hospital during the epidemic
abridge freedom of speech
generally suggests reduction in extent, compass, or scope but usually implies the retention of the essential elements and a relative completeness in the result
so fearful of being detected … that I must abridge this narrative — Charles Dickens
abridge the large volume so that it can be read in one evening
retrench puts stress upon reduction in extent or costs of something felt to be in excess
must retrench on the expenses of her household — Edith Sitwell
in keeping with the austerity drive the school administration retrenched on our coal supply — Maria Yen
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- shorten sail