Showing results for "downsizing"

• present participle of downsize.

downsizing

American  

[daun-sahy-zing] / ˈdaʊnˌsaɪ zɪŋ /

noun

• downsizings
  plural

1. the act or process of reducing the number of something, such as employees or participants, usually as a cost-cutting measure.

   The company’s downsizing eliminated approximately 39% of all executive positions.

2. the act or process of replacing something larger with something smaller, such as moving into a smaller house.

   With the housing market in shambles, it would be difficult to sell our house, so downsizing is not really an option right now.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• downsizings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of downsizing

downsiz(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

In business, downsizing means saving money by laying off workers. Although downsizing can sometimes make a company more profitable, it also results in people losing their jobs. Downsizing is a way to make something smaller, and in the 1980s the business world started using this word to refer to the process of reducing a company's size by firing employees. Earlier, it was used by U.S. automakers to mean "producing smaller cars." And today it also means "moving into a smaller house," something people commonly do after their kids grow up and leave home: "My grandparents are downsizing — they sold their house and bought a condo."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

downsizing downsizings

But Ekerdt has spent years studying household downsizing, and he’s heard some version of my problem many times before.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Xbox chief executive Asha Sharma said in July the Bafta-winning studio behind the Hellblade games would be spun off, alongside four others, amid its dramatic downsizing.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

If all this made a strong case for cashing in, then why were boxes of silver still sitting in my basement while the empty space all around them testified to downsizing efficiency?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Depending on your situation, this could mean canceling high-priced memberships or unnecessary subscriptions — or making bigger moves, like selling a second car or downsizing your home.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

“I’m even downsizing my bed so that you can fit yours in. We picked one out today.”

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

Ethan Allen’s roughly 170 stores have seen some kind of refresh, including the downsizings, but the changes are ongoing, according to executives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Some families said they were forced into difficult downsizings: Couples with children moved from two-bedroom to one-bedroom apartments even though, as one father said, “we’re tripping over each other.”

From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2023

The downsizings didn’t just affect people who worked at GE.

From The Guardian ● Nov. 6, 2016

While record store closings seem as inevitable as newspaper downsizings these days, June has proved to be an especially cruel month in New York.

From New York Times ● Jun. 10, 2016

Likewise, no company will shrink, incurring job losses due to layoffs and mass firings, unless the CEO agrees to downsizings and cost reductions. 

From Forbes ● Aug. 29, 2014