abbreviation

noun

ab·bre·vi·a·tion | \ ə-ˌbrē-vē-ˈā-shən

Definition of abbreviation

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

Synonyms What is an abbreviation? What's the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym? More Example Sentences Learn More about abbreviation

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What is an abbreviation?

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.

What's the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym?

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.

Examples of abbreviation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hope and Stoops had been joking about phrases and abbreviations that friends from high school would write in each other’s yearbooks. — Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com, "Cleveland’s Young Teazer premieres first-ever single ‘GLTS’," 30 Aug. 2019 Halloween, an abbreviation for All Hallows’ Eve, originated as a pagan festival celebrated by the Celts thousands of years ago. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "A petition to move Halloween to the last Saturday of October is picking up steam," 26 July 2019 There is disappointment that Greece’s left-wing rulers — known as Syriza, a Greek-language abbreviation for the Coalition of the Radical Left — proved unable to deliver. — Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, "Greek elections are expected to bring a populist experiment to an end," 6 July 2019 The Chamber of Commerce sponsored a contest and people sent in names like Serra (for Father Junipero Serra, founder of the California m issions) and Coro San (an abbreviation of the two cities, and a nod to the region as a gateway to the Orient). — San Diego Union-Tribune, "50 years later, Coronado bridge’s iconic status masks its controversial origins," 4 Aug. 2019 Halloween, an abbreviation for All Hallows' Eve, originated as a pagan festival celebrated by the Celts thousands of years ago. — Erin Davis And Katherine Dillinger, CNN, "A petition to move Halloween to the last Saturday of October is picking up steam," 25 July 2019 Pak Topo,’’ a moniker that combined abbreviations of his name and the Indonesian word for mister. — Stephen Wright, BostonGlobe.com, "Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, face of Indonesia disaster relief efforts dies at 49," 7 July 2019 To clarify what abbreviations are eligible: virtually all of them. — Washington Post, "Style Conversational Week 1342: Combominimums," 25 July 2019 The abbreviation of the plays is more noticeable in the second part, which continues the contrapuntal movement between drama and comedy, royal duty and naughty frivolity. — Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, "Tom Hanks, Hamish Linklater and a 'Henry IV' worthy of applause," 10 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abbreviation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for abbreviation

abbreviation

noun

ab·bre·vi·a·tion | \ ə-ˌbrē-vē-ˈā-shən

Kids Definition of abbreviation

: a shortened form of a word or phrase

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abbreviation

Definition of abbreviation

Synonyms for abbreviation

What is an abbreviation?

What's the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym?

Examples of abbreviation in a Sentence

First Known Use of abbreviation

History and Etymology for abbreviation

Kids Definition of abbreviation

abbreviation

Definition of abbreviation

Synonyms for abbreviation

What is an abbreviation?

What's the difference between an abbreviation and an acronym?

Examples of abbreviation in a Sentence

First Known Use of abbreviation

History and Etymology for abbreviation

Kids Definition of abbreviation

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