downsizing

American  

[doun-sahy-zing] / ˈdaʊnˌsaɪ zɪŋ /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of downsizing

downsiz(e) ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. )

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

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

After downsizing, a tornado took out everything I had left.

From MarketWatch