Definition

1. Verb (transitive):

   • To make something shorter in length, duration, or extent.
   • To reduce the scope or content of something while keeping its essential elements.
   • To edit by omitting parts, often to make content less offensive or more concise.

2. Verb (intransitive):

   • To become shorter.

Usage and Examples

• Transitive Verb (to make shorter):

  • She had to shorten the dress because it was too long.
  • The editor asked the writer to shorten the article by 500 words.
  • Please shorten this rope by a few inches.

• Transitive Verb (to reduce duration or scope):

  • He decided to shorten his vacation due to work commitments.
  • The film director shortened the final cut of the movie.

• Intransitive Verb (to become shorter):

  • The days begin to shorten in autumn.
  • As the material dried, it *shortened.

Advanced Usage

• In Editing/Publishing: Often used to describe making text more concise or suitable for an audience by removing parts.
  • The publisher required the author to shorten the manuscript by removing two chapters.
• In Cooking/Baking: A technical term for making pastry crisp by adding fat.
  • The recipe instructs you to shorten the dough with butter.

Variants and Related Words

• Shortened (adjective): Describes something that has been made shorter.
  • We read a shortened version of the classic novel.
• Shortening (noun):
  • The act of making something shorter.

    • The shortening of the school day was unpopular.
  • A fat used in baking to make pastry crisp.

    • Vegetable shortening is common in many recipes.

Synonyms

• Abbreviate: To shorten a word or phrase.
• Abridge: To shorten a written work by condensing or omitting parts.
• Curtail: To cut short or reduce, often implying a more severe reduction.
• Trim: To cut away unnecessary parts to reduce size or length.
• Contract: To draw together and reduce in size (often used intransitively).

Antonyms

• Lengthen
• Extend
• Elongate
• Prolong

Phrasal Verbs and Related Constructions

• Shorten to: To reduce something to a specific length or duration.
  • The meeting was shortened to just thirty minutes.
• Shorten by: To indicate the amount of reduction.
  • He shortened the speech by cutting three paragraphs.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• To shorten the odds: (Primarily British English) In betting, to make an event seem more likely to happen; to decrease the potential payout for a bet.
  • The team's strong performance has shortened the odds on them winning the championship.
• Shorten sail: (Nautical) To reduce the area of sail exposed to the wind.
  • The captain ordered the crew to shorten sail as the storm approached.

Verb

1. edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
   • bowdlerize a novel
2. become short or shorter
   • In winter, the days shorten
3. make short or shorter
   • shorten the skirt
   • shorten the rope by a few inches
4. reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
   • The manuscript must be shortened
5. make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration
   • He shortened his trip due to illness