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This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ uh-bree-vee-ey-shuhn ]
/ əˌbri viˈeɪ ʃən /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
noun
a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole, as Dr. for Doctor,U.S. for United States,lb. for pound.
an act of abbreviating; state or result of being abbreviated; reduction in length, duration, etc.; abridgment; summary: His abbreviation of his famous monograph, an enormous endeavor in itself, made an excellent introduction to the volume of collected essays of which he was the editor.
a short phrase or reduced form used to represent a larger, more complex idea, situation, set of beliefs, etc.: “Freedom of speech” has become an abbreviation for a wealth of debate—and case law—about protesters’ rights.The artist presented an abbreviation of line, plane, and curve; she creates breathtaking abstract representations of bodies you expect to leap off the canvas and start dancing.
VIDEO FOR ABBREVIATION
What Is The Difference Between Abbreviations And Acronyms?
There really could be a whole separate dictionary for the abundance of acronyms and abbreviations people use today. But what is the actual difference between abbreviations and acronyms?
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Origin of abbreviation
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English abbreviacioun from Middle French or directly from Late Latin abbreviātiōn- (stem of abbreviātiō ). See abbreviate, -ion
grammar notes for abbreviation
Abbreviation is the most widely used term for a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase. Abbreviations of single words are typically formed using the first letter or letters of the word ( n. = noun; adj. = adjective ), the first letter and the last letter ( hr. = hour; Sr. = Senior ), or the most significant letters ( TNT = trinitrotoluene; Pvt. = Private ).
Abbreviations may be nearly as old as writing itself; they allow a writer to save time, space, and effort. The cost of materials like parchment, paper, and ink was another major impetus to shorten words and phrases. Even with the invention of the printing press, cost remained important, and printers looked for ways to save space without diluting the message. Many abbreviations have become standard, including abbreviations for days of the week ( Mon., Tues. ) and months of the year ( Jan., Feb. ); common Latin terms ( lb., e.g. ); units of time and measurement ( min., ft. ); titles of individuals ( Mrs., Rev. ); and titles or names of organizations ( NCAA, UNESCO ), government bodies ( SCOTUS, EPA ), and states and cities ( Pa., NYC ).
The usual practice in American English is to use a period to end any abbreviation that stands for a single word (for example, assoc. or assn. for association ), whereas in British English the period is typically omitted if the abbreviation includes the last letter of the word. For example, in British writing the word association might be abbreviated as either assoc. or assn (without the period); likewise, Fr. is an abbreviation for France, while Fr (no period) is the abbreviation for Father (as the title for a priest).
Phrases are typically abbreviated by using the first letters or initial portions of each word or each important word, usually without any periods. Similarly, a single long word is sometimes abbreviated with the initial letters of component parts of the word. Unlike ordinary abbreviations for single words, which are almost always read as if the word were spelled out (as by reading “Dr.” as “Doctor” and “lb.” as “pound”), abbreviations consisting of initials are usually read as written—either letter by letter or as a single word. An abbreviation that is pronounced letter by letter, like FBI for Federal Bureau of Investigation or DOD for Department of Defense or TV for television, is referred to as an initialism.
Many abbreviations for phrases, however, are pronounced as words: for example, NATO for N(orth) A(tlantic) T(reaty) O(rganization) or radar for ra(dio) d(etecting) a(nd) r(anging). This type of abbreviation is called an acronym. Some acronyms, like radar, laser, scuba, and Gestapo, have become so accepted as normal words that most people are unaware of their acronymic origins. In many cases an official name may be chosen purely to create an appropriate and catchy acronym, as in the federal «Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act» of 2010 (the «CALM Act»).
In a loose sense, initialism can refer to any abbreviation composed of initials, even if pronounced as a word; conversely, acronym has been widely adopted to refer to any such abbreviation, even if it is pronounced letter by letter. But the distinction between true acronyms (pronounced as words) and pure initialisms (said letter by letter), is a useful one. To complicate the issue, however, there are hybrid forms—part initialism, part acronym—like CD-ROM ( [see-dee-rom] /ˈsiˌdiˈrɒm/ ) and JPEG [jey-peg] /ˈdʒeɪˌpɛg/ )—for which one term is as good as the other.
With the increasing popularity of email, text messaging, and social media, people—especially young people—have found new ways to save time and space, bond with friends through use of in-group jargon, and keep their communications opaque to prying parental eyes, by using initialisms to represent common expressions. Among the most popular are OMG (Oh my God), BTW (by the way), AFAIK (as far as I know), LOL (laughing out loud), ROTFL (rolling on the floor laughing), IMHO (in my humble opinion), FWIW (for what it’s worth), TTYL (talk to you later), and bff (best friends forever). BTW, IMHO, the rest of the population is catching on fast. OMG!
Words nearby abbreviation
Abboud, abbr., abbrev., abbreviate, abbreviated, abbreviation, abbreviatory, Abby, ABC, abcoulomb, ABC Powers
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
MORE ABOUT ABBREVIATION
What is an abbreviation?
An abbreviation is a shortened version of a word or phrase, such as prof. for professor or Mr. for mister.
Abbreviation is also the act of shortening words or phrases, as in The abbreviation of department names is common in government.
We use several different methods to create abbreviations. Some of the most common include using the first letter or group of letters of a word, like Mon. for Monday and O for oxygen.
Abbreviations are also created by taking the first and last letter of a word, such as Dr. for doctor, or by taking several consonants of a word, like Pvt. for private and Sgt. for sergeant.
When we are shortening a series of words, such as a department or agency name, the abbreviation will be made of the first letter of each word (called an initialism), such as FBI for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
When we read an abbreviation out loud, we usually say the word it represents rather than the abbreviation. Mr. Jones would be said out loud as Mister Jones. If the abbreviation is an initialism, however, we usually say the letters themselves. For example, CIA is said as “see-eye-ay” rather than “Central Intelligence Agency.” If an abbreviation is meant to be said like this, it is usually spelled with capital letters.
Why is abbreviation important?
The first records of the word abbreviation come from around 1400. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin abbreviātiō, which combines the Latin ad– (toward) and brevis (short).
We use abbreviations to save writers time and energy or, less commonly now, to save printing costs. In spoken language, it is also much easier to say FBI or CNN rather than repeatedly having to say Federal Bureau of Intelligence or Cable News Network.
Abbreviations that are pronounced letter by letter, such as DDT or UN, are called initialisms. Abbreviations that are said out loud as words, such as NASA (nah-suh) or NATO (nay-toe) are called acronyms.
With the rise of the internet and phone texting, abbreviations have become very popular. Some popular modern abbreviations include LOL, JK, AFK, and BRB.
Did you know … ?
Some abbreviations are so commonly used that they become words on their own, and people may be unaware that they are a shortened form. For example, the word laser comes from “lightwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.”
What are real-life examples of abbreviation?
This chart lists some of the abbreviations that are commonly used on the internet and in texting:
Pinterest.com
Abbreviations are used every day, especially on the internet.
The abbreviations for teaspoon and tablespoon are too similar and NOBODY’S TALKING ABOUT IT!!!!
— Josh Gondelman (@joshgondelman) August 30, 2020
I think I’m too old for twitter, I keep having to look up what some of the abbreviations mean that you guys use.😶
— az (@amal_zedd) September 2, 2020
Quiz yourself!
Which of the following is NOT an abbreviation?
A. FBI
B. Prof.
C. Fri.
D. cat
Words related to abbreviation
abridgement, abstract, abstraction, clipping, compendium, compression, condensation, contraction, digest, outline, précis, reduction, sketch, summary, syllabus, synopsis
How to use abbreviation in a sentence
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David-Jeremiah began with the pieces that include the abbreviations, the second of which expresses the same sentiment as the first, but rendered in Dallas slang.
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Hovering your mouse over a particular flag brings up the identifying abbreviation of the metric name and the recorded timing in milliseconds.
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Academic writing is usually jam-packed with sophisticated scientific concepts, but in recent decades studies have also become filled with endless acronyms and abbreviations.
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A 2017 article in the Association for Psychological Science’s Observer, noted that the more abbreviations were explained and spelled out, the more interest readers had in the subject matter.
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It’s a language full of abbreviations, initialisms, and acronyms.
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Speaking of D.H. Lawrence, T.C. Boyle, another ye of the double abbreviation, might be the man who writes most like him today.
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GTL (Jerseyan, n.)—the abbreviation for the guido way of life, which stands for gym, tanning, laundry.
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The desert creeps at the rate of fingernails; the abbreviation for street is the same as that for saint.
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I told him the abbreviation and he typed it into the computer, his face lighting up with epiphany before sending me on my way.
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«Empey» is her pet name for him, an abbreviation of «Emperor;» and he likes to hear her say it.
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As the word is now generally used it is an abbreviation of Pishu Huanu—Bird-dung.
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Have we here no specimens of abbreviation; no allusion in the prologue to «omissis qu videbantur superflua?»
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More probably the word is an abbreviation of Italian borghetto diminutive of borgo a “borough.”
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Abbreviation Left hand up, while the R foot is moving and the L hopping.
British Dictionary definitions for abbreviation
noun
a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used in place of the whole
the process or result of abbreviating
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for abbreviation
A shortened form of an expression, usually followed by a period. Dr. is a standard abbreviation for Doctor; MA is a standard abbreviation for Massachusetts.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
1
: a shortened form of a written word or phrase used in place of the whole word or phrase
«Amt» is an abbreviation for «amount.»
«USA» is an abbreviation of «United States of America.»
2
: the act or result of abbreviating something : abridgment
I know you would not be satisfied with an abbreviation of its contents, and you shall have the whole, save, perhaps, a few passages here and there of merely temporary interest to the writer …—
Anne Brontë
Did you know?
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a written word or phrase. Abbreviations may be used to save space and time, to avoid repetition of long words and phrases, or simply to conform to conventional usage.
The styling of abbreviations is inconsistent and arbitrary and includes many possible variations. Some abbreviations are formed by omitting all but the first few letters of a word; such abbreviations usually end in a period: Oct. for October, univ. for university, and cont. for continued. Other abbreviations are formed by omitting letters from the middle of the word and usually also end in a period: govt. for government, Dr. for Doctor, and atty. for attorney. Abbreviations for the names of states in the U.S. are two capitalized letters, e.g., AR for Arkansas, ME for Maine, and TX for Texas.
Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the initial letters of an expanded phrase and usually do not include periods: PR for public relations, CEO for chief executive officer, and BTW for by the way. Some acronyms are pronounced as words: FEMA for Federal Emergency Management Agency and NATO for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Although some people assert that all acronyms not pronounced as words, such as EPA for Environmental Protection Agency, be referred to as initialisms, the term acronym is in fact applied to both.
Did you know?
Some people are unsure of whether to call ASAP or appt abbreviations or acronyms. Both abbreviation and acronym are used to refer to a shortened form, but an acronym is a shortened form of a phrase and is usually made up of the initial letters of that phrase. For example, NATO comes from “North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” and ASAP comes from “as soon as possible.” Abbreviations, on the other hand, can be shortened forms of words or phrases, and need not necessarily be made up of the initial letters of either. ASAP and appt (for appointment) are both considered abbreviations, but only ASAP is an acronym. Acronyms are a type of abbreviation.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1968, Moore and Noyce left Fairchild to start the memory chip company soon to be named Intel, an abbreviation of Integrated Electronics. Moore and Noyce’s first hire was another Fairchild colleague, Andy Grove, who would lead Intel through much of its explosive growth in the 1980s and 1990s.
—Reuters, CNN, 24 Mar. 2023
Her daughter, however, a 2022 University of Chicago graduate and U. of C. Diversity Leadership Award winner, has centered her entrepreneurial dreams around crochet with her fashion brand, T’Kor Couture, the name being an abbreviation of her middle name.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 8 July 2022
These days, the most famous weirdo wine is probably pét-nat, a fashionable abbreviation for a fashionable French style of winemaking, pétillant naturel.
—Ann Abel, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2023
Yes, even to the scrolling ticker seemingly present on whatever sports channel — ESPN, FS1, CBS Sports Network or even Bally Sports Detroit — with every few seconds bringing a new event and a new abbreviation.
—Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 13 Mar. 2023
Incidentally, this feature is called One Motion Grip—OMG, for short—in Europe, and Lexus decided that abbreviation would not play as well in the US market.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 13 Mar. 2023
South By, to reach for the spoken abbreviation, is a multiverse of attractions itself, a new genre (or medium) just a dimension hop or Uber ride away.
—A.a. Dowd, Chron, 11 Mar. 2023
Burzynski has urged state leaders to expand training and education, pushing specifically for a program created by Toyota known as FAME, an abbreviation for Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education.
—Erica E. Phillips, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2023
The abbreviation is popular on social media, particularly on Twitter, for its conciseness.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘abbreviation.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English abbreviacioun «contraction, shortening,» borrowed from Anglo-French abreviation, borrowed from Late Latin abbreviātiōn-, abbreviātiō, from abbreviāre «to abbreviate» + Latin -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of action nouns
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of abbreviation was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near abbreviation
Cite this Entry
“Abbreviation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abbreviation. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.
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УСЛОВНЫЕ СОКРАЩЕНИЯ В
АНГЛО-РУССКОЙ ЧАСТИ
Abbreviations in the Russian-English Dictionary
| Common | ||
| сокращение | abbr | abbreviation |
| винительный падеж | acc | accusative |
| прилагательное | adj | adjective |
| администрация | ADMIN | administration |
| наречие | adv | adverb |
| сельское хозяйство | AGR | agriculture |
| анатомия | ANAT | anatomy |
| архитектура | ARCHIT | architecture |
| автомобиле́льне дело | AUT | automobiles |
| вспомогательный глагол | aux vb | auxiliary verb |
| авиа́целя | AVIAT | aviation |
| биология | BIO | biology |
| ботаника | BOT | botany |
| британский английский | BRIT | British English |
| химия | CHEM | chemistry |
| коммерция | COMM | commerce |
| компостер | COMPUT | computing |
| союз | conj | conjunction |
| строительство | CONSTR | construction |
| сражение | cpd | compound |
| кулинария | CULIN | culinary |
| дательный падеж | dat | dative |
| склоняется | decl | declines |
| определённый артикль | def art | definite article |
| уменьшительное | dimin | diminutive |
| экономика | ECON | economics |
| электроника | ELEC | electricity |
| оси́бренно | esp | especially |
| и тому подобное | etc | et cetera |
| междометие | excl | exclamation |
| женский род | f | feminine |
| в переносном значении | fig | figurative |
| родительный падеж | gen | genitive |
| география | GEO | geography |
| геометрия | GEOM | geometry |
| безличный | impers | impersonal |
| несовершенный вид | impf | imperfective verb |
| несклоняемое | ind | indeclinable |
| неопределённый артикль | indef art | indefinite article |
| разговорное | inf | informal |
| грубо | inf! | offensive |
| инфинитив | infin | infinitive |
| творительный падеж; | instr | instrumental |
| неизменяемое | inv | invariable |
| неправ́вильный | irreg | irregular |
| лингвистика | LING | linguistics |
| мы́ситный ладе | loc | locative |
| мужской род | m | masculine |
| субстантивированное | m/f/nt adj | adjectival noun |
| математика | MATH | mathematics |
| медицина | MED | medicine |
| военный термина | MIL | military |
| музыка | MUS | music |
| имя существительное | n | noun |
| морское термин | NAUT | nautical |
| именительный падеж | nom | nominative |
| существительное во множественном числе | npl | plural noun |
| средний род | nt | neuter |
| числительное | num | numeral |
| себя | o.s. | oneself |
| раздельный | part | partitive |
| пренебрежительное | pej | pejorative |
| совершенный вид | perf | perfective verb |
| фотография | PHOT | photography |
| физика | PHYS | physics |
| физиология | PHYSIOL | physiology |
| множественное число | pl | plural |
| политика | POL | politics |
| страдательное причастие | pp | past participle |
| предлог | prep | preposition |
| местоимение | pron | pronoun |
| предложный падеж | prp | prepositional |
| психология | PSYCH | psychiatry |
| Проше́душе ври́мы | pt | past tense |
| железнодорожный термин | RAIL | railways |
| религия | REL | religion, church service |
| кто́-неуд | sb | somebody |
| просвещение | SCOL | schooling, schools and universities |
| единственное число | sg | singular |
| что-нибудь | sth | something |
| подлежащее | subj | subject |
| превосходная степень | superl | superlative |
| техника | TECH | technology |
| теле (свя3ь) | TEL | telecommunications |
| театр | THEAT | theatre |
| телевидение | TV | television |
| типографский термин | TYP | printing |
| американский английский | US | American English |
| обычно | usu | usually |
| глагол | vb | verb |
| непереходный глагол | vi | intransitive verb |
| глагольное слобочетание | vt fus | inseparable verb |
| переходный глагол | vt | transitive verb |
| зоология | ZOOL | zoology |
| зарегистрированный | ® | registered trademark |
| вводит культурный эквивалент | ≈ | introduces a cultural equivalent |
ab·bre·vi·a·tion
(ə-brē′vē-ā′shən)
n.
1. The act or product of shortening.
2. A shortened form of a word or phrase used chiefly in writing to represent the complete form, such as Mass. for Massachusetts or USMC for United States Marine Corps.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
abbreviation
(əˌbriːvɪˈeɪʃən)
n
1. a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used in place of the whole
2. the process or result of abbreviating
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ab•bre•vi•a•tion
(əˌbri viˈeɪ ʃən)
n.
1. a shortened form of a word or phrase used to represent the whole, as Dr. for Doctor, U.S. for United States, NW for Northwest, ab. for about, ft. for foot, or lb. for pound.
2. an act or result of abbreviating; reduction in length, duration, etc.; abridgment.
[1400–50; late Middle English (< Middle French) < Late Latin]
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Noun | 1. |  abbreviation — a shortened form of a word or phrase
descriptor, form, signifier, word form — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something; «the inflected forms of a word can be represented by a stem and a list of inflections to be attached» apocope — abbreviation of a word by omitting the final sound or sounds; «the British get `pud’ from `pudding’ by apocope» appro — an informal British abbreviation of approval; «he accepted it on appro» |
| 2. |  abbreviation — shortening something by omitting parts of it
shortening — act of decreasing in length; «the dress needs shortening» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
abbreviation
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
абревиатура
zkratkazkrácení
forkortelse
mallongigo
lyhennelyhennelmälyhennöslyhennyslyhennysmerkki
kraticaabrevijacija
rövidítés
styttingskammstöfun
略語省略短縮略略字
약어
okrajšava
förkortning
อักษรย่อ
chữ viết tắt
abbreviation
[əˌbriːvɪˈeɪʃən] N
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
abbreviation
[əˌbriːviˈeɪʃən] n → abréviation f
an abbreviation for sth, an abbreviation of sth → une abréviation pour qch
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
abbreviation
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
abbreviate
(əˈbriːvieit) verb
to shorten (a word, phrase etc). Frederick is often abbreviated to Fred.
abˌbreviˈation noun
a shortened form of a word etc. Maths is an abbreviation of mathematics.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
abbreviation
→ اِخْتِصار zkratka forkortelse Abkürzung συντομογραφία abreviatura lyhenne abréviation kratica abbreviazione 略語 약어 afkorting forkortelse skrót abreviação, abreviatura сокращение förkortning อักษรย่อ kısaltma chữ viết tắt 缩略语
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
abbreviation
n. abreviación, abreviatura.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
Other forms: abbreviations
Abbreviation is the process of shortening something, usually a word or phrase, or the shortened version itself. “Mr.” is the abbreviation of “mister,” NASA is the abbreviation of National Aeronautics and Space Administration, etc. (hey, that’s an abbreviation too).
There are different types of abbreviations. Some are followed by a period (.) to show that the word has been shortened. Initialisms and acronyms like DNA, SAT, NATO, and SCOTUS, which are abbreviations that are formed from the first letters of a series of words, are written in all capitals. And don’t get confused: if your friend asks to give you an abbreviation of his speech, he’s not going to shorten each word; he’s just going to leave the details out.
Definitions of abbreviation
-
noun
shortening something by omitting parts of it
-
noun
a shortened form of a word or phrase
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘abbreviation’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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