reduce

American  

[ri-doos, -dyoos] / rɪˈdus, -ˈdjus /

verb (used with object)

• reduces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reduced,
  past participle,  past
• reducing
  present participle

1. 

   to bring down to a smaller extent, size, amount, number, etc..

   to reduce one's weight by 10 pounds.

   Synonyms:

   abate, attenuate, lessen, retrench, contract, curtail, abridge, shorten, decrease, diminish

   Antonyms:

   increase

2. to lower in degree, intensity, etc..

   to reduce the speed of a car.

   Synonyms:

   abate, attenuate, lessen

3. to bring down to a lower rank, dignity, etc..

   a sergeant reduced to a corporal

   Synonyms:

   humble, demote, degrade

   Antonyms:

   exalt, elevate

4. to treat analytically, as a complex idea.

5. to lower in price.

6. to bring to a certain state, condition, arrangement, etc..

   to reduce glass to powder.

7. to bring under control or authority.

   Synonyms:

   overpower, overcome, vanquish, subject, conquer, subjugate, subdue

8. Cooking. to evaporate water from (a sauce, soup, or other liquid), usually by boiling.

9. Photography. to lessen the density of (an exposed negative).

10. to adjust or correct by making allowances, as an astronomical observation.

11. Mathematics. to change the denomination or form, but not the value, of (a fraction, polynomial, etc.).

12. Chemistry.

    1. to add electrons to.

    2. to deoxidize.

    3. to add hydrogen to.

    4. to change (a compound) so that the valence of the positive element is lower.

13. Chemistry, Metallurgy. to bring into the metallic state by separating from nonmetallic constituents.

14. to thin or dilute.

    to reduce paint with oil or turpentine.

15. to lower the alcoholic concentration of (spirits) by diluting with water.

16. Surgery. to restore to the normal place, relation, or condition, as a fractured bone.

17. Phonetics. to modify the quality of (a speech sound) to one of lesser distinctiveness, especially to pronounce (an unstressed vowel) as (ə) or another centralized vowel, as in the unstressed syllables of medicinal.

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verb (used without object)

• reduces,
  present (3rd person singular)
• reduced,
  past participle,  past
• reducing
  present participle

1. to become reduced.

2. to become lessened, especially in weight.

3. to be turned into or made to equal something.

   All our difficulties reduce to financial problems.

4. Cell Biology. to undergo meiosis.

reduce British  

/ rɪˈdjuːs /

verb

1. (also intr) to make or become smaller in size, number, extent, degree, intensity, etc

2. to bring into a certain state, condition, etc

   to reduce a forest to ashes

   to reduce someone to despair

3. (also intr) to make or become slimmer; lose or cause to lose excess weight

4. to impoverish (esp in the phrase in reduced circumstances )

5. to bring into a state of submission to one's authority; subjugate

   the whole country was reduced after three months

6. to bring down the price of (a commodity)

   the shirt was reduced in the sale

7. to lower the rank or status of; demote

   he was reduced from corporal to private

   reduced to the ranks

8. to set out systematically as an aid to understanding; simplify

   his theories have been reduced in a popular treatise

9. maths to modify or simplify the form of (an expression or equation), esp by substitution of one term by another

10. cookery to make (a sauce, stock, etc) more concentrated by boiling away some of the water in it

11. to thin out (paint) by adding oil, turpentine, etc; dilute

12. (also intr) chem

    1. to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction with hydrogen or formation of a hydride

    2. to lose or cause to lose oxygen atoms

    3. to undergo or cause to undergo an increase in the number of electrons Compare oxidize

13. photog to lessen the density of (a negative or print) by converting some of the blackened silver in the emulsion to soluble silver compounds by an oxidation process using a photographic reducer

14. surgery to manipulate or reposition (a broken or displaced bone, organ, or part) back to its normal site

15. (also intr) biology to undergo or cause to undergo meiosis

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reducibility
  noun
• overreduce
  verb
• antireducing
  adjective
• nonreducing
  adjective
• reducible
  adjective
• reducibly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• reducing
  present
• reduced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reduce
  simple
• reduces
  simple
• have reduced
  perfect
• has reduced
  perfect
• am reducing
  progressive
• are reducing
  progressive
• is reducing
  progressive
• have been reducing
  perfect progressive
• has been reducing
  perfect progressive

Past

• reduced
  simple
• had reduced
  perfect
• was reducing
  progressive
• were reducing
  progressive
• had been reducing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reduce
  simple
• will have reduced
  perfect
• will be reducing
  progressive
• will have been reducing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of reduce

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English reducen “to lead back,” from Latin redūcere “to lead back, bring back,” equivalent to re- re- + dūcere “to lead”

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Explanation

You reduce something when you lessen its volume, size, or degree. That's why we say when someone goes on a diet, it's because they want to reduce; it's a polite way of suggesting they need to drop pounds and become a smaller size. The word reduce first appeared in Old French during the 14th Century, when it meant "bring back." From the Latin re, which meant "back," coupled with ducere, meaning "bring or lead" — we ended up with reduce. The current meaning, "to lessen," appeared in the late 1700's, drawn from the word's military use, "reduce to ranks," which meant break into smaller units. Cooks use the word reduce when they reduce a liquid, boiling it down until it has less volume and is thicker.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reduce reduces reduced reducing

That could reduce bond supply, and provide some relief to bonds now underwater in portfolios.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

Geisinger, which operates 10 hospitals in Pennsylvania, made changes starting in early 2025 to reduce boarding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Phone First was initially introduced during the pandemic in late 2020 to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading among patients in crowded hospital waiting rooms.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Tighter financial conditions and higher cash needs could make investors wary of putting up more money, or lead them to reduce exposure to the sector.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

The great Caltech physicist Richard Feynman once observed that if you had to reduce scientific history to one important statement it would be "All things are made of atoms."

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

BofA reduces its target price on the stock to 800 pence from 850 pence but maintains a buy recommendation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

It "reduces the possibility of resolving issues through dialogue and warns that North Korea will respond with 'a new level of countermeasures' as the United States increases its pressure," he added.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

This more sophisticated sampling technique reduces the minimum distance required for the 2-approximation guarantee to hold, without increasing the algorithm's overall computational complexity.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

In Thursday’s Macro Voices podcast, he noted that if AI displaces workers and reduces their earning power, then the outstanding debt still needs to be serviced.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

It deflates them, reduces them to the common denominator where they can be dealt with.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

"This includes increased frequency of headaches, irritation, tiredness and stomach aches, reduced sleep duration and quality and increased risk of stress, anxiety and depression," she said.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

But a pardons board later halved the term, and his fine was reduced to 50 million ringgit.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Meanwhile, BASF’s shareholding has materially reduced, removing an overhang from the stock, she notes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

However, the team's simulations suggest that this disturbance can be reduced to a level so small that it becomes effectively negligible.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

By day, my grandmother expertly managed a thriving Bible bookstore on the Far South Side, but in her off-hours with Dandy she was reduced to a meekness I found perplexing, even as a young girl.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Traditional dietary advice has often emphasized reducing specific components, such as saturated fat.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026

But critics have questioned how effective they are in reducing pollution and raised concerns that conventional firecrackers could still make their way into the capital from neighbouring states.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Clearly something has to give, Citrini observes, and it probably involves a bit of both: reducing the capex and lifting the revenues.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

The minimum wage increase in June 2027 could further raise labor costs, potentially reducing industry earnings by 4% in 2027 and 7% in 2028, he reckons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

The crowds packed in, surrounding the seated Texans and reducing them to four disembodied voices.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

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Related Words

• curtail
• cut
• cut down
• diminish
• dwindle
• knock off
• lessen
• lower
• pare
• scale down
• shorten
• slash
• trim
• weaken

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