How to Use shorten in a Sentence

shorten

verb

• He had to shorten the speech.
• Both of their styles will chew the clock and shorten this game.
  — Doug Ziefel, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2022
• The strength of the glue or even your skin type, as oily skin can break down the glue and shorten the hold.
  — Jazmine Boutte, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2024
• There's a lot of slang, and Australians shorten a lot of words.
  — Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 6 Jan. 2025
• By the end, he’s called Grand Elf, and shortens it to Gandalf.
  — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2024
• McCormick shortened the name to just Pumpkin Spice in the 1960s.
  — Terry Baddoo, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2024
• The move is clearly meant to shorten the show, which is scheduled to run for three hours.
  — oregonlive, 27 Mar. 2022
• The chart above shows every single draft pick in the NBA since 1989, the year that the draft was shortened to just two rounds.
  — Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 27 June 2024
• Now, the asteroid’s 3.3-year trip around the sun has been shortened by about 24 days.
  — Ashley Strickland, CNN, 6 July 2024
• This gives you more room for games and will shorten game loading times.
  — Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 8 July 2022
• The next best thing is to solidify your bullpen and shorten the game.
  — New York Times, 21 Mar. 2022
• This drives the hot end against the block, enlarging it, and shortening the metal in the process.
  — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
• The kind of shot that can cause a concussion and shorten a career.
  — Jared Wyllys, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2022
• The best way to shorten a game is to run the football consistently.
  — Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 7 Oct. 2021
• Bergeron shortened that phrase to Mai Tai, and the rest is history.
  — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 17 Apr. 2023
• The central pendant can be removed and worn as a brooch, the necklace shortened and worn as a bracelet.
  — Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
• At that point, rotations had been shortened from three months to 45 days because of the high risk.
  — Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2024
• Torrey Pines was supposed to grind out yards — three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust style — and eat up the clock in an effort to shorten the game.
  — John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Oct. 2021
• But the idea of an over-the-counter way to shorten the misery of a common cold has proved wildly popular.
  — Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
• To fry the wonton wrappers, cut the squares into ½-inch strips, then cut those strips in half crosswise to shorten them.
  — Eric Kim, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2023
• Wildlife experts managed to shorten the rope before the whale headed south, but weren't able to free it.
  — Russ Bynum, ajc, 6 Dec. 2021
• Wildlife experts managed to shorten the rope before the whale headed south, but weren’t able to free it.
  — Russ Bynum, orlandosentinel.com, 6 Dec. 2021
• The result was clear - more than 90% of workers wanted to shorten their work day by one hour four days a week.
  — Virginia Lau, Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir, Anchorage Daily News, 17 Oct. 2021
• With Defy, the chain is looking to shorten the process to 2 minutes or less thanks to the multiple drive-thru lanes.
  — Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 7 June 2022
• And a longer status report as of late has shortened the number of available players for the team.
  — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 22 June 2024
• Eating the wrong ones can age your insides, degrade your skin and even shorten your life.
  — Dr. Anthony Yuon, Contributor, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
• The offense will have to lean on its explosive and consistent run game to score points and shorten the game.
  — Lance Reisland, cleveland, 14 Sep. 2022
• The most aggressive way to shorten a battery’s life is to charge it very quickly.
  — Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 13 May 2022
• Any leaves that are submerged or get wet are a welcome place for bacteria to grow, which can end up shortening the lifespan of your roses.
  — Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Feb. 2025
• The latter type of metamorphosis creates issues that can’t be easily altered, for instance, shortening a now too-long coat that no longer drapes over a gut.
  — Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2025

Last Updated: 7 Mar 2025