1. to make something shorter in length of time; to reduce the period or span of something
The company decided to abbreviate the duration of the meeting to save time.
A empresa decidiu abreviar a duração da reunião para economizar tempo.
2. to shorten the time allocated or required for an event, process, or activity
We had to abbreviate the duration of our vacation due to unexpected circumstances.
Tivemos que abreviar a duração das nossas férias devido a circunstâncias inesperadas.