truncate
/trʌŋˈkeɪt/ (bre, ipa) · [trˈʌŋkˌet] /ˈtrʌŋkeɪt/ (ame, ipa) · [trˈʌŋkˌet] /ˈtrəŋ-ˌkāt How to pronounce truncate (audio) ˈtrən-/ (ame, mw)
truncate — verb
- truncatepresent simple I / you / we / they
- truncateshe / she / it
- truncatedpast simple
- truncating-ing form
1. to shorten something by removing its end or last part — for example, truncating
to shorten something by removing its end or last part — for example, truncating a speech, an article, a list of names, or a computer file
The editor truncated the lengthy article to fit the weekend edition's page limit.
active: truncate + noun phrase (article/report/text)
Shanti's interview on the evening news was truncated because the next programme was already starting.
passive: be truncated + reason clause
The database software automatically truncates any entry that exceeds the two-hundred-character limit.
Tariq truncated the guest list after the first forty names.
Inês realised her email had been truncated, so she forwarded the missing pages.
- shorten
more general; does not specify that the end is removed
- cut short
less technical, common in everyday speech
- abbreviate
applies specifically to words or texts, often using a standard shortened form
文法句型
truncate + noun phrase
be truncated (passive)
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice, especially in writing and computing contexts. The thing that is truncated (article, list, file) is cut before its natural ending — not simply made shorter in the middle.
常見錯誤
truncate — adjective
- truncatepositive
- more truncatecomparative
- most truncatesuperlative
1. having a flat, blunt end instead of a pointed or rounded one — for example, a tr
having a flat, blunt end instead of a pointed or rounded one — for example, a truncated leaf shape or a truncated cone used in geometry
The tulip tree has truncated leaves that are flat and broad at the tip.
botany: truncated leaves / truncated + noun
A truncated cone, like the shape of a bucket, has its top cut off squarely.
geometry: truncated cone
The beaver's tail is broad and truncated, forming a flat paddle-like surface.
Gabriela drew a truncated pyramid with a flat top for her geometry homework.
The biologist noticed the plant's truncated stems looked as if something had nibbled them.
- blunt
less precise; can describe any dull end, not necessarily square
- cut off square
descriptive phrase, not a single-word synonym
用法筆記
This technical meaning appears mainly in biology (leaf and stem descriptions) and geometry (solid shapes). It is not used for everyday shortened objects — do not say 'a truncated pencil' for a pencil that has been worn short.