Shorten example sentences

Related (10): lengthen, abbreviate, condense, trim, reduce, cut, compress, curtail, truncate, brief

"Shorten" Example Sentences

I need to shorten this dress before the wedding next week.
Can you shorten the meeting? We're all exhausted.
The doctor said rest would shorten my recovery time significantly.
They decided to shorten the project timeline by cutting unnecessary steps.
She used scissors to shorten the rope so it would fit in the closet.
Honestly, I wish they'd shorten these conference calls — nobody's paying attention anyway.
The new route will shorten your commute by at least fifteen minutes.
We had to shorten our vacation because of work emergencies.
His temper seemed to shorten with each passing year of stress.
The tailor offered to shorten the pants for free with any alteration.
— Should we shorten the introduction?" / "Yeah, it's way too long."
I'm trying to shorten my to-do list, but something always comes up.
After months of waiting, the surgery finally happened — thank God it didn't shorten his life.
They shorten the school day on Fridays, which is honestly the only thing keeping me sane.
She watched her father's life shorten day by day, and there was nothing anyone could do.
The editor asked me to shorten the article by half — which basically meant starting over.
If we shorten the intro, we'll have more time for questions at the end.
Nobody wants to shorten their lunch break, but management keeps pushing for it.
The new software will shorten processing time from hours to minutes.
I've been trying to shorten my screen time before bed, but it's harder than it sounds.
Why would you shorten a good thing?
The medication didn't shorten the illness, just made it bearable.
Shorten the sleeves and it'll fit perfectly.
He felt his patience shorten the moment she walked in late again.
The pandemic forced schools to shorten the school year unexpectedly.
She'd learned to shorten her expectations over the years — less disappointment that way.
Can we shorten this conversation? I have to pick up my kid.
The new highway will shorten the drive to the city by twenty minutes.
Stress seemed to shorten his temper more than anything else.
They're planning to shorten the contract from three years to two.

Common Phrases

shorten the distance
shorten the time
shorten the list
shorten the odds
shorten one's life
shorten the gap
shorten the wait
shorten the process
shorten the commute
shorten the deadline

Examples by Level

Can you shorten this string for me?
The tailor will shorten your pants.

We decided to shorten our trip because of bad weather.
The new road will shorten the drive to work.

The doctor said rest would shorten my recovery time, which was good news.
They're planning to shorten the meeting so people can leave early.

Stress seemed to shorten his patience with each passing day, until he finally snapped.
The editor asked me to shorten the article without losing the main argument.

What we call progress often requires accepting that some things must shorten — attention spans, patience, even lifespan in certain contexts.
She understood that to shorten the distance between them would require vulnerability neither of them was quite ready to offer.

There's a particular cruelty in watching illness shorten someone's life while they remain fully aware of what's happening.
The decision to shorten the project timeline reflected not ambition but resignation — they'd simply stopped believing it could succeed.

Examples by Scenario

🏠 Everyday Life

My neighbor asked if I could shorten the hedge so it doesn't block her view anymore.
I've been trying to shorten my morning routine, but I always end up running late anyway.

💼 Workplace

The manager asked us to shorten our email responses — apparently we're being too verbose.
Can we shorten the agenda? There's no way we'll cover all this in an hour.

📊 Business

The new logistics strategy will shorten delivery times from a week to three days.
Our goal is to shorten the sales cycle without compromising on customer relationships.

🛒 Buying / Shopping

The tailor said she could shorten the dress for thirty dollars, which seemed reasonable.
I'm looking for a phone with a shorter battery life — wait, I meant to shorten my screen time, not buy a new phone.

✈️ Travel

We decided to shorten our road trip and fly instead because we were running out of time.
The new flight path will shorten the journey to Tokyo by almost two hours.

📚 Education

The teacher had to shorten the lesson because the fire alarm went off.
Students asked if we could shorten the reading list, but the professor refused.

❤️ Relationships

When he stopped calling, I knew it was time to shorten my expectations of what we'd ever be.
She wanted to shorten the distance between them, but he seemed content to keep things as they were.

📰 News / Politics

The government announced plans to shorten the voting period, which sparked immediate controversy.
Critics argue that the new policy will shorten the time available for proper investigation.

💻 Technology

The app promises to shorten your commute by finding the fastest route in real time.
We're working on an update that will shorten the loading time by fifty percent.

📝 Formal Writing

The proposed amendments would shorten the approval process from six months to three.
Research indicates that regular exercise may shorten recovery time following surgical intervention.