Abbreviate

Quick meaning: Abbreviate is a verb meaning (transitive) To make shorter; to shorten (in time); to abridge; to shorten by ending sooner than planned.

Meaning

(transitive) To make shorter; to shorten (in time); to abridge; to shorten by ending sooner than planned.

More Meanings

1. (transitive) To reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form.
2. (transitive, mathematics) To reduce to lower terms, as a fraction.
3. (biology) Having one part relatively shorter than another or than the ordinary type.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To shorten by omitting parts or details.
5. (obsolete, intransitive) To speak or write in a brief manner.
6. (obsolete, as a participle) Abbreviated.
7. (obsolete, as a participial adjective) Abbreviated, abridged, shortened.

Example Sentences

But it is one Thing, to Abbreuiate by Contracting, Another by Cutting off: […]

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is more commonly known by its abbreviated form BSE.

Alana abbreviated "involuntarily celibate" to "invcel", until someone suggested that "incel" was easier to say.

But as delivery schedules have dwindled into hours, even the gigantic warehouse full of stuff in a central place such as the triangle is proving insufficient. Now, companies also need smaller distribution centres around the country, to respond rapidly to orders and to abbreviate the last mile as much as possible.

Word Forms

• abbreviates
• abbreviating
• abbreviated

Synonyms for abbreviate

Depending on context, synonyms include abridge, compress, condense, contract, curtail, epitomize.

Antonyms for abbreviate

Common opposites include amplify, dilate, elongate, enlarge, expand, expatiate.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include foreshorten, abridge, contract, shorten, reduce, cut.

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