pare

¹ American  

[pair] / pɛər /

verb (used with object)

pared, paring

1. to cut off the outer coating, layer, or part of.

2. to remove (an outer coating, layer, or part) by cutting (often followed by off oraway ).

3. to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed bydown ).

   to pare down one's expenses.

   Synonyms:

   lessen, shave, clip

   Antonyms:

   increase

---

Paré ² American  

[pa-rey] / paˈreɪ /

noun

1. Ambroise 1510–90, French surgeon.

---

pare ¹ British  

/ pɛə /

verb

1. to peel or cut (the outer layer) from (something)

2. to cut the edges from (the nails); trim

3. to decrease bit by bit

---

Paré ² British  

/ pare /

noun

1. Ambroise (ɑ̃brwaz). 1510–90, French surgeon. He reintroduced ligature of arteries following amputation instead of cauterization

---

Related Words

See peel ¹.

Other Word Forms

• pareable adjective
• parer noun
• unpared adjective

Etymology

Origin of pare

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English paren, from Middle French parer, “to make ready, trim” from Latin parāre ”to prepare, make ready“; prepare

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

The faults have now been fixed, bringing some relief to the state-owned ferry firm which since last week has been forced to pare back services as it faces an "unprecedented" shortage of ships.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

If regulators approve the deal, David Ellison is widely expected to embark on a painful round of cost-cutting to pare down the load.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Takuya Otsuki, exhibiting at COHJU, draws on traditional Japanese art in his images, which pare down historical works into isolated, sometimes abstract elements, transposing them in mineral and dyed-mud pigments on hemp paper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

Let’s pare the history down to the basics.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

“I can do the work,” I blurted out and then tried to pare back my own eagerness.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• cut back
• cut down
• decrease
• lower
• mark down
• prune
• reduce
• scrape
• shave
• slash