truncate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to shorten by cutting off a part; cut short.
Truncate detailed explanations.
- Synonyms:
- abbreviate, curtail, trim, abridge
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Mathematics, Computers. to shorten (a number) by dropping a digit or digits.
The numbers 1.4142 and 1.4987 can both be truncated to 1.4.
adjective
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Biology.
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square or broad at the end, as if cut off transversely.
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lacking the apex, as certain spiral shells.
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verb
adjective
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cut short; truncated
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biology having a blunt end, as though cut off at the tip
a truncate leaf
Usage
What does truncate mean? Truncate means to shorten something by removing part of it.You can truncate something by removing the beginning of it, the end of it, the top of it, or another part of it. In scientific and medical contexts, truncating often involves cutting off a part of something in a way that’s parallel to its base (or perpendicular to its side).In the context of math, to truncate is to shorten a number by dropping some of the digits after the decimal place. For example, 1.524 can be truncated to 1.5.Less commonly, truncate can be used as an adjective with the same meaning as truncated—shortened, as if having had a portion cut off.Example: When they originally released the movie, they truncated the ending, but they’re planning to release the full version soon.
Other Word Forms
- subtruncate adjective
- truncately adverb
- truncation noun
Etymology
Origin of truncate
1480–90; < Latin truncātus (past participle of truncāre to lop), equivalent to trunc ( us ) trunk + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are rewriting course material and asking students to truncate class discussions about race and sex, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025
It said that "maybe for the best of intentions, it led the Commission to truncate her evidence," adding: "That appears to have prevented her from completing her account."
From BBC • May 10, 2025
But the constitutional terrain would shift in one essential respect: Courts would no longer be permitted to truncate the narrative.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2025
“In order to do a new rule or undo an old rule, you still have to go through the rulemaking process. I suspect they’re going to try to truncate that in some way.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2024
He pointed out that it was relatively easy to pronounce, though there was the danger that Americans, obsessed with abbreviation, would truncate it to Nick.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
