To make short or shorter in measure, extent, or time; as, to shorten distance; to shorten a road; to shorten days of calamity. [1913 Webster]
To reduce or diminish in amount, quantity, or extent; to lessen; to abridge; to curtail; to contract; as, to shorten work, an allowance of food, etc. [1913 Webster]
"Here, where the subject is so fruitful, I am shortened by my chain." [1913 Webster]
To make deficient (as to); to deprive; -- with of. [1913 Webster]
"Spoiled of his nose, and shortened of his ears." [1913 Webster]
To make short or friable, as pastry, with butter, lard, pot liquor, or the like. [1913 Webster]

To shorten a rope (Naut.), to take in the slack of it. -- To shorten sail (Naut.), to reduce sail by taking it in.

Shorten, v. i.

To become short or shorter; as, the day shortens in northern latitudes from June to December; a metallic rod shortens by cold. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

Shorten, v.
1 intr. & tr. become or make shorter or short; curtail.
2 tr. Naut. reduce the amount of (sail spread).
3 intr. & tr. (with reference to gambling odds, prices, etc.) become or make shorter; decrease.

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THESAURUS

Shorten

abate, abbreviate, abrade, abridge, abstract, bate, be telegraphic, bob, bobtail, boil down, brief, capsule, capsulize, circumscribe, clip, coarct, compact, compress, concentrate, condense, consolidate, constrict, constringe, contract, cramp, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, cut off short, cut short, damp, dampen, decrease, deduct, deflate, depreciate, depress, derogate, detract, digest, diminish, disparage, dock, downgrade, drain, draw, draw in, draw together, eat away, elide, epitomize, erode, excerpt, extract, file away, foreshorten, hem, impair, knit, leach, lessen, lower, minify, minimize, mow, narrow, nip, nutshell, outline, pare, poll, pollard, prune, pucker, pucker up, purify, purse, reap, recap, recapitulate, reduce, refine, remove, retrench, roll back, rub away, scale down, shave, shear, shrink, simplify, sketch, sketch out, slash, snub, solidify, step down, strangle, strangulate, stunt, subduct, subtract, sum up, summarize, synopsize, take away, take from, take in, telescope, thin, thin out, trim, truncate, tune down, waste no words, wear away, weed, withdraw, wrinkle

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ROGET THESAURUS

Shorten

Decrease

VB decrease, diminish, lessen, abridge, shrink, drop off, fall off, tail off, fall away, waste, wear, wane, ebb, decline, descend, subside, melt away, die away, retire into the shade, hide its diminished head, fall to a low ebb, run low, languish, decay, crumble, bate, abate, dequantitate, discount, depreciate, extenuate, lower, weaken, attenuate, fritter away, mitigate, dwarf, throw into the shade, reduce, shorten, subtract.

Contraction

VB become small, become smaller, lessen, decrease, grow less, dwindle, shrink, contract, narrow, shrivel, collapse, wither, lose flesh, wizen, fall away, waste, wane, ebb, decay, be smaller than, fall short of, not come up to, render smaller, lessen, diminish, contract, draw in, narrow, coarctate, boil down, constrict, constringe, condense, compress, squeeze, corrugate, crimp, crunch, crush, crumple up, warp, purse up, pack, squeeze, stow, pinch, tighten, strangle, cramp, dwarf, bedwarf, shorten, circumscribe, restrain, (subtraction) 38 abrade, pare, reduce, attenuate, rub down, scrape, file, file down, grind, grind down, chip, shave, shear, wear down.

Shortness

VB be short, render short, shorten, curtail, abridge, abbreviate, take in, reduce, compress, epitomize, retrench, cut short, obtruncate, scrimp, cut, chop up, hack, hew, cut down, pare down, clip, dock, lop, prune, shear, shave, mow, reap, crop, snub, truncate, pollard, stunt, nip, check the growth of, foreshorten (in drawing).

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