to cut off the outer coating, layer, or part of.
to remove (an outer coating, layer, or part) by cutting (often followed by off oraway ).
to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed bydown ).
to pare down one's expenses.
to peel or cut (the outer layer) from (something)
to cut the edges from (the nails); trim
to decrease bit by bit
See peel 1.
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English paren, from Middle French parer, “to make ready, trim” from Latin parāre ”to prepare, make ready“; see origin at prepare
To pare is to trim — like when you pare branches on a tree or pare down your expenses to save money. Pare comes from the Latin word parare, meaning "to prepare." Think of peeling potatoes, which you might do with a paring knife, or paring your nails so you'll make a neat appearance. In each case, you are trimming something gradually. If you pare down your expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Zola’s Forrest suggested that I could pare back my gift giving from $150 to $50, or an amount that won’t cause financial stress.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
Warsh’s push to pare back how the Fed narrates its outlook for jobs, growth and inflation—and how it weighs the risks around it—has left markets with more uncertainty about the central bank’s tactics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
If this is only about a better division of labor with Europe, why pare back strategic bombers, a unique American capability?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
Whether investors decide to pare back those positions remains to be seen.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
It takes cognitive toil and literary dexterity to pare an argument to its essentials, narrate it in an orderly sequence, and illustrate it with analogies that are both familiar and accurate.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Paré described the number of shots fired as in the "hundreds," according to the station.
From Fox News ● Feb. 10, 2022
Millennials are currently the “sandwich generation,” says Frank Paré, a CFP and president and managing partner at PF Wealth Management Group in Oakland, California.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2021
Hugh T. Clements Jr., and the public-safety commissioner, Steven M. Paré, stood at the edge of the rally until early evening, talking with any passers-by who came forward.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2020
Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Paré told residents Wednesday night at an emergency neighborhood association meeting that police were ensuring their safety.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 29, 2018
His mother followed him here, and at Mary's instance the great surgeon Ambrose Paré was summoned.
From In Château Land by Wharton, Anne Hollingsworth
Moderna pares early gains even as the drugmaker posts higher revenue and a narrower loss for the first quarter.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Her style, she explains, pares food down to its essentials, and she rarely uses more than three colours to aid wearability.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Second, the Saudi turn from the path of Abraham comes as the kingdom pares or abandons several high-profile projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
“It basically pares down the science team to next to nothing and really operates the spacecraft with a minimal cadre,” he says.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 3, 2023
The Old Dominion was accustomed to thinking of itself as primus inter pares in any confederation of states.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The 2026 Games have been pared back compared to previous editions, with 10 sports rather than the 17 it featured in 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Mr. Brown in 2012 championed modest reforms that pared benefits for future workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Although the stock pared most of those losses, it still closed down 16.2% to a record low of $4.62.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
The losses came even as investors pared expectations for US interest rate hikes after data showed the Federal Reserve's favoured gauge of inflation came in slightly lower than expected in May.
From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026
I nod with fervor because pared down to those terms, I understand.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
“He went from paring down his arsenal to kind of two pitches, to regrow his arsenal while he’s learning how to pitch at this level,” Prior said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, rallied as much as five percent, before paring gains to trade around 3.5 percent higher at about $78 a barrel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Treasury yields retreated after the report, before paring those declines, with the yield in the 10-year note ending the session mostly unchanged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
After examining and paring down the data, the detective asked for the phone records of Okello Chatrie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
I looked at my hands, thinking about all they had said, paring it down wearily.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
