<p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>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.</li><li>an act of abbreviating; state or result of being abbreviated; reduction in length, duration, etc.; abridgment; summary.</li><li>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.</li><li>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.</li></ul>