Verb
1. make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration;
"He shortened his trip due to illness"2. reduce in scope while retaining essential elements;
"The manuscript must be shortened"3. make short or shorter;
"shorten the skirt""shorten the rope by a few inches"4. become short or shorter;
"In winter, the days shorten"5. edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate;
"bowdlerize a novel"