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

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”

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

Google’s guarantees reduce the risk to lenders by making the technology giant responsible for certain payments if Anthropic can’t meet its obligations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Your HSA contributions reduce your taxable income for the year; 2.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

The conflict with the US does not remove domestic pressures the country faces, but may reduce the immediate political pressure created by them.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

Participation in the arts has been shown to reduce isolation, improve mental health and strengthen social bonds.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

The foolhardiness or ignorance of her officers was a prolific theme for comment whilst she remained in sight, and efforts were made to signal her to reduce sail in face of her danger.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Spending on shade, ventilation and cooler hospitals and homes all produce little in the way of bankable returns - even if it reduces costs of climate change long term.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

This reduces the need for complex measurements while also increasing sensitivity.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

Here he reduces a passage of Genesis to read: “Darkness upon the deep waters / In the midst of evening / Let the Sea bring forth / the stars.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

These are temporary periods in late summer when a state waives or reduces taxes on items such as school supplies, clothes or electronics to help families cut their back-to-school costs.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Once the shadow reduces to a quarter crescent, it hangs there, motionless.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

In some cases, the gut contracts too much, while in others, movement is reduced.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

"Cargo vessels are being forced to wait or sail with a reduced load," a spokesperson at the Bulgarian government's Danube agency told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Since 2021, 23 states have reduced their top marginal income-tax rates, according to the Tax Foundation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

"They want high volume, high storage, fast picking... ultimately on a smaller footprint with a reduced headcount."

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Sugar Act actually reduced the Molasses Act tax by half, but this time the British government intended to strongly enforce the new measure.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Polaris CEO Mike Speetzen told analysts this week that by the end of 2027, less than 5% of the company’s total cost of goods sold will originate from China, reducing its tariff burden.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

The first is the challenge of reducing conscious experience entirely to physical processes in the brain.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 30, 2026

But the war in the Middle East was having an effect, reducing second-quarter growth by one percentage point, Guerra said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

The ability to hold another person’s reality alongside one’s own, without reducing it or rewriting it, requires training, repetition and exposure.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

In her blog she wrote: Racism should never have happened and so you dorit get a cookie for reducing it.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

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