downsize

American  

[doun-sahyz] / ˈdaʊnˌsaɪz /

verb (used with object)

downsized, downsizing

1. to design or manufacture a smaller version or type of.

   The automotive industry downsized its cars for improved fuel economy.

2. to reduce in size or number; cut back.

   Many small businesses are forced to downsize their workforce during a slow economy.

3. 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.

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verb (used without object)

1. to become smaller in size or number.

   The military is downsizing— reducing overseas deployments—and as a result is spending less on supplies.

2. 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

1. Also downsized being of a smaller size or version.

   a downsize car.

downsize British  

/ ˈdaʊnˌsaɪz /

verb

1. to reduce the operating costs of a company by reducing the number of people it employs

2. to reduce the size of or produce a smaller version of (something)

3. to upgrade (a computer system) by replacing a mainframe or minicomputer with a network of microcomputers Compare rightsize

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downsize Cultural  

1. 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.”

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Discover More

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.

Etymology

Origin of downsize

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75; down ¹ + size ¹

Example Sentences

Others fear that state-imposed rules could lead to downsizing farms and even shipping water away to Arizona’s fast-growing cities.

From Los Angeles Times

At first, this rodent equivalent of downsizing dimmed the mouse’s mood.

From Los Angeles Times

Cheap interest on mortgages from before mid-2022 are keeping homeowners from trading up to accommodate a growing family, relocating for a new job, or downsizing for retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tasks once done by humans and requiring technical skill can now be automated, enabling these organizations to downsize, minimize risk and maximize profit.

From The Wall Street Journal

Changes to the eligibility rules for who can lead the regional Fed banks would go along with a downsizing of those institutions so that their research efforts no longer overlap.

From Barron's

Related Words

• curtail
• cut back
• cut down
• diminish
• phase out
• reduce
• retrench
• scale down
• shrink
• trim