Shorten - English meaning

verb

Shorten (a word, phrase, or text).

Usage examples:

‘network’ is often abbreviated to ‘net’

verb

To shorten a word or words, or to make something shorter

Usage examples:

We had to abbreviate the names of the states., an abbreviated version was published last year.

verb

To make a word or phrase shorter by using only the first letters of each word

Usage examples:

Abbreviate something as "chief executive officer" is abbreviated as "ceo"., abbreviate something to…

verb

Shorten (a piece of writing) without losing the sense.

Usage examples:

The introduction is abridged from the author's afterword to the novel

verb

To make a written text shorter

Usage examples:

They listened to an abridged version on tape.

verb

To make a book, play, or piece of writing shorter by removing details and information that is not important

Usage examples:

The book was abridged for children.

noun

A flexible or spring-loaded device for holding an object or objects together or in place.

Usage examples:

He undid two clips and lifted the lid

verb

Fasten or be fastened with a clip or clips.

Usage examples:

She clipped on a pair of diamond earrings

noun

An act of clipping or trimming something.

Usage examples:

I gave him a full clip

verb

Flatten by pressure; squeeze or press.

Usage examples:

The skirt can be folded and compressed into a relatively small bag

noun

A pad of lint or other absorbent material pressed on to part of the body to relieve inflammation or stop bleeding.

Usage examples:

A cold compress

verb

To press something into a smaller space

Usage examples:

Snow in the crater compresses into a fastest-growing glacier., firmly compress the dirt in the pot …

verb

Make (something) denser or more concentrated.

Usage examples:

The morning play on saturday was condensed into a half-hour package

verb

To reduce something, such as a speech or piece of writing, in length

Usage examples:

I condensed ten pages of comments into/to two.

verb

To make a liquid thicker by removing some of the water

noun

A written or spoken agreement, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy, that is intended to be enforceable by law.

Usage examples:

He has just signed a contract keeping him with the club

verb

Decrease in size, number, or range.

Usage examples:

Glass contracts as it cools

noun

A legal document that states and explains a formal agreement between two different people or groups, or the agreement itself

Usage examples:

She already has a contract for her next book with a publisher., i have no other contractual obligat…

noun

A cultivated plant that is grown on a large scale commercially, especially a cereal, fruit, or vegetable.

Usage examples:

The main crops were oats and barley

verb

Cut (something, especially a person's hair) very short.

Usage examples:

She cropped her long golden hair

verb

Short for riding crop or hunting crop.

verb

Reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on.

Usage examples:

Civil liberties were further curtailed

verb

To reduce or limit something, or to stop something before it is finished

Usage examples:

He had to curtail his speech when time ran out.

verb

To reduce or limit something

Usage examples:

The federal reserve raised interest rates slightly to curtail inflation., the last government sever…

verb

Make an opening, incision, or wound in (something) with a sharp-edged tool or object.

Usage examples:

He cut his toe on a sharp stone

noun

A stroke or blow given by a sharp-edged implement or by a whip or cane.

Usage examples:

He could skin an animal with a single cut of the knife

verb

Separate with or as if with an instrument

verb

Make or become smaller or fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree.

Usage examples:

The population of the area has decreased radically

noun

An instance or example of becoming smaller or fewer.

Usage examples:

A decrease in births

verb

To become smaller or make something less

Usage examples:

[ i ] car sales decreased sharply this year., i haven’t noticed any decrease in ticket sales.

verb

Make or become less.

Usage examples:

The new law is expected to diminish the government's chances

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size or importance

Usage examples:

[ i ] the threat of inflation is diminishing., [ t ] a single-payer system would diminish the burea…

verb

To reduce or be reduced in size, importance, or value

Usage examples:

If consumers start losing confidence, it will diminish demand for household goods., investors can d…

noun

An enclosed area of water in a port for the loading, unloading, and repair of ships.

Usage examples:

The boat nosed up to a dock

verb

(of a ship) come into a dock and tie up at a wharf.

Usage examples:

The ship docked at southampton

noun

The solid bony or fleshy part of an animal's tail, excluding the hair.

Usage examples:

Jason grabbed the towels and spread them at the dog's tail and dock.

verb

Make or become less; diminish.

Usage examples:

The years have lessened the gap in age between us

verb

To become or make something smaller in amount or degree

Usage examples:

[ t ] keeping your weight down can lessen the risk of heart disease.

verb

To make something smaller, less noticeable, etc., or to become smaller, less noticeable, etc.

Usage examples:

Corporate executives are keen to embrace "green technology" in order to lessen their dependence on …

noun

A summary or abstract of a text or speech.

Usage examples:

The precis accompanying the weekly summaries of incidents also make it possible to explore in more …

verb

Make a precis of (a text or speech).

Usage examples:

She wrote one of the best and most intelligent dissections of the case, and to precis her, she poin…

noun

A short form of a text that gives only the important parts

noun

A plum preserved by drying and having a black, wrinkled appearance.

Usage examples:

However, just as raisins seem different from grapes, so do prunes appear to be distinct from plums.

verb

Trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to encourage growth.

Usage examples:

Now is the time to prune roses

noun

An instance of trimming a tree, shrub, or bush.

Usage examples:

They need little care other than an annual prune

verb

Make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Usage examples:

The need for businesses to reduce costs

verb

Make smaller

verb

To make something less in size, amount, degree, importance, or price

Usage examples:

A low-fat diet can reduce the risk of heart disease., grunn employs 17,900 people, but that number …

verb

Become or make smaller in size or amount.

Usage examples:

The workforce shrank to a thousand

noun

A psychiatrist.

Usage examples:

You should see a shrink

verb

To become smaller or cause something to become smaller

Usage examples:

[ i ] the show’s audience has shrunk in the last few months., [ t ] i shrank my sweater by putting …

verb

Give a brief summary or general survey of (something)

Usage examples:

Here's my 5-minute attempt to synopsize the events of the last few weeks

verb

Make (something) neat or of the required size or form by cutting away irregular or unwanted parts.

Usage examples:

Trim the grass using a sharp mower

noun

Additional decoration, typically along the edges of something and in contrasting colour or material.

Usage examples:

A red blazer with gold trim

adjective

Neat and smart in appearance; in good order.

Usage examples:

His face was freshly shaved, his clothes neat and trim

verb

Shorten the duration or extent of.

Usage examples:

He was a sensational player whose career was truncated by injuries

adjective

(of a leaf, feather, or other part) ending abruptly as if cut off across the base or tip.

Usage examples:

The ends are usually acute or obtuse, but sometimes also fish tail-like, truncate or vague.

verb

To make something shorter or quicker, especially by removing the end of it

Usage examples:

Television coverage of the event was truncated by a technical fault.