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ab·bre·vi·ate
 abbreviate
- pronunciation:
bri
vi
eIt
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
abbreviated, abbreviates, abbreviating |
| definition 1: |
to reduce in length or duration.
Pressing matters at home forced them to abbreviate their stay in Europe.- synonyms:
- compress, condense, cut, cut down, reduce, shorten
- antonyms:
- elongate, extend, lengthen
- similar words:
- abridge, abstract, digest, summarize, synopsize, truncate
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| definition 2: |
to represent in writing by using a shorter form or a few letters.
One may abbreviate "northwest" by writing "NW."People usually abbreviate the word "Mister" by writing "Mr."- synonyms:
- contract, shorten
- similar words:
- abridge, compress, condense, cut, cut down, reduce
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| related words: |
brief, contract, curtail, lower |
| derivation: |
abbreviated (adj.) |
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