shorten meaning
shorten :
to make shorter, to reduce the length or duration of something
Verb
▪ We need to shorten the meeting to fit everyone's schedules.
▪ We need to make the meeting shorter to fit everyone's schedules.
▪ Please shorten the document before submitting it.
▪ Please make the document shorter before submitting it.
paraphrasing
▪ reduce – to make smaller in size or amount
▪ trim – to make shorter by cutting
▪ cut – to make something smaller by removing parts
▪ abbreviate – to make shorter in form
Pronunciation
shorten [ˈʃɔːr.tən]
The stress is on the first syllable 'short' and sounds like 'SHORT-ən'.
Common phrases and grammar about shorten
shorten - Common meaning
Verb
to make shorter, to reduce the length or duration of something
Part of Speech Changes for "shorten"
▪ shortening (noun) – the action of making something shorter
▪ shortened (adjective) – made shorter
Common Expressions with "shorten"
▪ shorten the length – make the length shorter
▪ shorten the duration – reduce the time
▪ shorten the deadline – make the deadline earlier
▪ shorten the dress – make the dress shorter
Important examples of shorten in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, shorten is often used to indicate reducing the length or duration of something.
Example of a confusing word: lengthen (to make longer)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Shorten is used as a transitive verb, requiring an object in TOEIC grammar questions.
shorten
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
shorten the schedule
'make the schedule shorter', used when planning time.
cut corners
means 'to do something in a simpler, quicker, or cheaper way', often implying lower quality.
Differences between similar words and shorten
shorten
,
reduce
differences
shorten is used to indicate making something physically or temporally shorter, while reduce can refer to decreasing quantity, size, or extent in a broader sense.
shorten
,
decrease
differences
shorten specifically refers to length or duration, while decrease can apply to any measurable quantity.
Words with the same origin as shorten
The origin of shorten
shorten comes from the Old English 'sceortian', meaning 'to make short'.
Word structure
The analysis of the word's composition is unclear.
Words with the same origin
The word's root is 'short'. Influential words with the same root include 'shortage', 'shortly', 'shortfall', and 'shorten'.
