Synonyms

reduce

American

[ri-doos, -dyoos] / rɪˈdus, -ˈdjus /

verb (used with object)

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
to lower in degree, intensity, etc..

to reduce the speed of a car.

Synonyms:

abate, attenuate, lessen
to bring down to a lower rank, dignity, etc..

a sergeant reduced to a corporal

Synonyms:

humble, demote, degrade

Antonyms:

exalt, elevate
to treat analytically, as a complex idea.
to lower in price.
to bring to a certain state, condition, arrangement, etc..

to reduce glass to powder.
to bring under control or authority.

Synonyms:

overpower, overcome, vanquish, subject, conquer, subjugate, subdue
Cooking. to evaporate water from (a sauce, soup, or other liquid), usually by boiling.
Photography. to lessen the density of (an exposed negative).
to adjust or correct by making allowances, as an astronomical observation.
Mathematics. to change the denomination or form, but not the value, of (a fraction, polynomial, etc.).
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.
Chemistry, Metallurgy. to bring into the metallic state by separating from nonmetallic constituents.
to thin or dilute.

to reduce paint with oil or turpentine.
to lower the alcoholic concentration of (spirits) by diluting with water.
Surgery. to restore to the normal place, relation, or condition, as a fractured bone.
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.

verb (used without object)

to become reduced.
to become lessened, especially in weight.
to be turned into or made to equal something.

All our difficulties reduce to financial problems.
Cell Biology. to undergo meiosis.

reduce British

/ rɪˈdjuːs /

verb

(also intr) to make or become smaller in size, number, extent, degree, intensity, etc
to bring into a certain state, condition, etc

to reduce a forest to ashes
to reduce someone to despair
(also intr) to make or become slimmer; lose or cause to lose excess weight
to impoverish (esp in the phrase in reduced circumstances )
to bring into a state of submission to one's authority; subjugate

the whole country was reduced after three months
to bring down the price of (a commodity)

the shirt was reduced in the sale
to lower the rank or status of; demote

he was reduced from corporal to private
reduced to the ranks
to set out systematically as an aid to understanding; simplify

his theories have been reduced in a popular treatise
maths to modify or simplify the form of (an expression or equation), esp by substitution of one term by another
cookery to make (a sauce, stock, etc) more concentrated by boiling away some of the water in it
to thin out (paint) by adding oil, turpentine, etc; dilute
(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
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
surgery to manipulate or reposition (a broken or displaced bone, organ, or part) back to its normal site
(also intr) biology to undergo or cause to undergo meiosis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

reduce reduces reduced reducing

It said its health board reforms were intended to "improve equity of access to services and reduce the unwarranted variation and bureaucratic barriers we currently have in place".

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

We recently told you about a draft Senate deal that would accelerate federal permitting and reduce frivolous litigation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

Flight tests of this experimental new wing, which is longer and lighter to maximise aerodynamic efficiency and reduce fuel burn, are scheduled to begin this year.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

“Vendor financing, customer-provided hardware and customer prepayments are expected to reduce up-front cash requirements through the transition to positive free cash flow,” Oracle said in a release.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Walmart, which was then the nation’s largest grocery retailer, had joined our effort by pledging to cut the amount of sugar, salt, and fat in its food products and to reduce prices on produce.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"A listed Jio must answer to minority shareholders… which structurally reduces its incentive to keep pricing suppressed."

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Its internal design also reduces the amount of computing power needed to analyze incoming light.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

Overseas ownership can be a strength in that it reduces the linkages between France’s own financial system and its bonds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The subsequent crisis has made prolonged blackouts the norm, which in turn reduces the water supply, as pumping depends primarily on electric turbines.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Worst, perhaps, in the long run, the exuberant spread of the Green Revolution has pushed many traditional cultivars toward extinction, which in turn reduces the genetic diversity of crops.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

To determine whether reduced cardiolipin directly contributes to these changes, rather than simply occurring alongside them, the team experimentally lowered cardiolipin levels in young mice.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

The U.K. government will stay within its fiscal rules after new spending and tax measures announced Wednesday, although with a slightly reduced cushion against setbacks, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

He posted pictures of people selling fruit under anti-drone nets on the street and municipal workers mowing lawns amid buildings reduced to rubble.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Actors with certain credits who lose their eligibility can temporarily keep their health coverage at a reduced rate for up to 18 months through the federal program known as COBRA, according to the union’s website.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

I suppose every mother is reduced to idiocy when describing her firstborn, but, oh, he is a beauty—large and dark like his father, but with the bright blue eyes of the Bradshaws.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

As it moves upward, the surrounding pressure decreases, reducing the amount of oxygen the molten rock can retain.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Both measures can lower costs by shortening shipping distances and reducing packaging, making it even harder to determine how much of the savings comes from newer AI systems.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Grace Barlow, from Knowsley Council's recycling engagement team, said the initiative aimed to ease financial pressure on parents while reducing textile waste.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

“I’m not against reducing carbon emissions,” Hilton said during a town hall with The Times and LAist this month.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Genevieve worried about the reducing and tried to stop him, but he appears to have found ways to do it anyway.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023