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

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Etymology

Origin of downsizing

downsiz(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

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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

America’s $100 billion beef industry is undergoing a painful downsizing, and it’s poised to make high meat prices a long-term reality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2026

This house may be the only asset she has, and downsizing will give her a cushion as she heads towards her 80th birthday in six years.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

Share of independent agencies Forrester predicts will “face acquisition, downsizing or closure” in 2027 as a result of pressure from ad tech and automation at clients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

After living in the same house for 45 years, moving and downsizing was a big project, Kaiser said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

He tried not to breathe too deeply as he cleaned, wary of dangers floating in the air, until his manager told him he was being fired because of a downsizing.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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

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