to cut off the outer coating, layer, or part of.
to remove (an outer coating, layer, or part) by cutting (often followed by off oraway ).
to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed bydown ).
to pare down one's expenses.
to peel or cut (the outer layer) from (something)
to cut the edges from (the nails); trim
to decrease bit by bit
See peel 1.
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English paren, from Middle French parer, “to make ready, trim” from Latin parāre ”to prepare, make ready“; see origin at prepare
To pare is to trim — like when you pare branches on a tree or pare down your expenses to save money. Pare comes from the Latin word parare, meaning "to prepare." Think of peeling potatoes, which you might do with a paring knife, or paring your nails so you'll make a neat appearance. In each case, you are trimming something gradually. If you pare down your expectations, you might be pleasantly surprised.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Weak leasing activity and an overabundance of space combined to push the nationwide vacancy rate up to an 11-year high last year and led many developers to pare back construction plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
In Amsterdam, the semiconductor-heavy AEX is flat as large AI-related stocks pare Monday’s losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Oil prices, which had spiked more than five percent earlier Monday, pare earlier gains, and on Tuesday they were down.
From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026
Surging U.S. seaborne oil exports and China’s willingness to pare back on its own seaborne imports have also helped shield the world from higher prices.
From MarketWatch ● May 11, 2026
The horrible pare On a velvet dais at the back of the room lay a ten-foot-long golden casket.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
Paré described the number of shots fired as in the "hundreds," according to the station.
From Fox News ● Feb. 10, 2022
Millennials are currently the “sandwich generation,” says Frank Paré, a CFP and president and managing partner at PF Wealth Management Group in Oakland, California.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 26, 2021
Hugh T. Clements Jr., and the public-safety commissioner, Steven M. Paré, stood at the edge of the rally until early evening, talking with any passers-by who came forward.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2020
Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven M. Paré said Tuesday that none of the hurt officers was seriously injured.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 2, 2020
In obstetrics Paré also made discoveries that need not be detailed here.
From The Age of the Reformation by Smith, Preserved
However, the Spanish labor market traditionally sees unemployment rise the most in the first quarter of the year, as employment pares gains made over the warmer spring and summer months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
CrowdStrike pares back the last session’s losses following an upgrade at Wolfe Research.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
When the prime minister addresses the cabinet, not far away in 10 Downing Street, he is primus inter pares, first among equals, sitting among his or her ministers.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2025
“It basically pares down the science team to next to nothing and really operates the spacecraft with a minimal cadre,” he says.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 3, 2023
The Old Dominion was accustomed to thinking of itself as primus inter pares in any confederation of states.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
The 2026 Games have been pared back compared to previous editions, with 10 sports rather than the 17 it featured in 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Mr. Brown in 2012 championed modest reforms that pared benefits for future workers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Investors breathed a sigh of relief at the data and pared their bets on a Fed rate hike this month, though analysts warned the latest US-Iran flare-up could complicate matters.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
Although the stock pared most of those losses, it still closed down 16.2% to a record low of $4.62.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
It stripped his thoughts of the words that described them and left them pared and naked.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Brent North Sea crude, the international benchmark, rallied as much as five percent, before paring gains to trade around 3.5 percent higher at about $78 a barrel.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
“He went from paring down his arsenal to kind of two pitches, to regrow his arsenal while he’s learning how to pitch at this level,” Prior said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The stock surged as much as 22% in early Thursday trading, before paring the gains.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
After examining and paring down the data, the detective asked for the phone records of Okello Chatrie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
On it were several paring knives, a corkscrew, an oversized container of sun lotion, and a water bottle.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
