Word
shorten
Phoneticsshort·en, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈʃɔɹtən/
UK/ʃˈɔːtən/
Definitions
01to reduce length or time
B1 · Intermediate
v. to make something shorter or to take less time.
v. to reduce the physical length or the temporal duration of something. Transitive use.
“The editor asked the writer to shorten the article by two hundred words.”
“The committee decided to shorten the conference schedule to ensure that international delegates could catch their return flights.”
Synonyms
02to become shorter
B1 · Intermediate
v. to become shorter in length or time.
v. to become shorter or to decrease in length. Intransitive use.
Español:acortarse
“The days begin to shorten as winter approaches.”
“As the project deadline loomed, the time available for thorough quality assurance testing began to shorten significantly.”
03nautical/sails
C2 · Proficiency Technical
v. to take in or reduce the amount of sail on a boat.
v. to reduce the amount of sail spread by taking it in or reefing it. Often used in the phrase 'shorten sail'.
“The captain ordered the crew to shorten sail as the storm got worse.”
“Recognizing the signs of an impending gale, the skipper commanded the deckhands to shorten sail before the gusts could damage the rigging.”
Synonyms
04cooking/pastry
C2 · Proficiency Cooking Technical
v. to add fat to flour to make a pastry crumbly and soft.
v. to make pastry or bread friable or crumbly by adding fat such as butter or lard.
“You need to add enough butter to shorten the dough for a perfect crust.”
“The baker explained that using chilled lard helps to shorten the crust, resulting in the desired flaky texture for the savory pie.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; it is often used with 'to' to indicate the final length.
Pitfall
He wants to short the meeting.
He wants to shorten the meeting.
Learners often use the adjective 'short' as a verb, but 'shorten' is the correct verbal form for making something shorter.
Etymology
From Middle English shortnen, schortenen, equivalent to short + -en (verbal suffix). In some senses, a continuation (in altered form) of Middle English schorten (“to make short, shorten”), from Old English sċortian (“to become short”), from Proto-Germanic *skurtōną (“to shorten”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/shorten
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0