1 B1 informal
To reduce the length of an object, garment, or text
"She asked the seamstress to shorten up the sleeves by a couple of inches."
separable
shorten up
B1 informal separable transitive
To make something shorter in length, or to reduce the duration of something
In plain English
To make something shorter
What does "shorten up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 informal
(Sports) To grip a bat, club, or racket higher up the handle for better control
"The coach told him to shorten up on the bat when facing fast bowling."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To make something shorter in an upward direction — the 'up' is used as an intensifier here, not directional
Actually means
To make something shorter
Usage tip
Used in sports (e.g., 'shorten up on the bat' in baseball/cricket means to grip closer to the middle), tailoring, and everyday speech. In American English, common in baseball commentary. More frequent than 'shorten down'.
Words that pair with "shorten up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
grip bat swing schedule presentation hem rope
How to conjugate "shorten up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
shorten up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
shortens up
he/she/it
Past simple
shortened up
yesterday
Past participle
shortened up
have + pp
-ing form
shortening up
continuous
Hear "shorten up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "shorten up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
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