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downsize

[ doun-sahyz ]
/ ˈdaʊnˌsaÉȘz /
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See synonyms for: downsize / downsizing on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object), down·sized, down·siz·ing.
to design or manufacture a smaller version or type of: The automotive industry downsized its cars for improved fuel economy.
to reduce in size or number; cut back: Many small businesses are forced to downsize their workforce during a slow economy.
to dismiss (an employee); lay off or fire: After I was downsized from my marketing position, I took to substitute teaching to make a little money.
verb (used without object)
to become smaller in size or number: The military is downsizing— reducing overseas deployments—and as a result is spending less on supplies.
to move into a smaller residence: Retirees are downsizing these days, giving up oversized and empty nests for apartments that are easier to care for.
adjective
Also down·sized . being of a smaller size or version: a downsize car.
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Origin of downsize

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75; down1 + size1

Words nearby downsize

downs, downscale, downshift, downshifting, downside, downsize, downsizing, downslide, down someone's throat, downspin, downspout
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to downsize

curtail, cut back, cut down, diminish, phase out, reduce, retrench, scale down, shrink, trim, cut, decrease, deduct, phase down, roll back, scale back, step down

How to use downsize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for downsize

downsize
/ (ˈdaʊnˌsaÉȘz) /
verb -sizes, -sizing or -sized (tr)
to reduce the operating costs of a company by reducing the number of people it employs
to reduce the size of or produce a smaller version of (something)
to upgrade (a computer system) by replacing a mainframe or minicomputer with a network of microcomputersCompare rightsize
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for downsize

downsize

To reduce in number, especially personnel: “The company decided to downsize half the workers in the aircraft division.” It can also be used in reference to objects: “I decided to downsize my wardrobe and threw out all my old T-shirts.”

notes for downsize

Downsize is a recent euphemism for “fire, lay off.” Company managers often use this term in an attempt to soften the blow of wide-scale layoffs.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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