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

Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat as needed to maintain it.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Alongside efforts to restrict access and harmful information, the researchers suggest that emergency services could take additional steps to reduce the consequences of sodium nitrite poisoning.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

But she was as stunned as anyone when the European under-23 champion surged past her in Stockholm to reduce her personal best by almost two seconds.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

This will add bureaucratic headaches and reduce some of the waiver’s benefits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 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

This kind of exercise reduces the amount of weight and force placed on joints.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

This reduces the potential for tactical bad challenges to get a team reduced to 10 men.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

—Bitcoin fell as an ongoing stalemate in the U.S.-Iran conflict lifts oil prices and reduces demand for risky assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He reduces Bourdain to a zygote who simply needed enough nurturing to become his older, cooler self, when he could, instead, read between the lines to find what makes young Tony special.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

Leaving the room also reduces the amount of time that the dentist is exposed to X-rays.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

At one time, according to the police, he had possessed permits for nine guns, but in recent years had reduced that to just one.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Fiber reduced the bacterial breakdown of the gut's mucus lining, which in turn lowered production of the harmful phenols.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

I’ve read several articles that are skeptical about whether the returns on alternative funds will justify the costs, risks and reduced liquidity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

With capital underinvestment in offshore for many years, the surviving companies have substantially reduced the cost to develop offshore fields, Robotti said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Leah reduced their public hours to ease their workload, 3–5 p.m. and 8–10 p.m. only.

From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock

Research suggests strength exercises targeting the quadriceps, a group of muscles at the front of the thigh, are particularly effective at reducing joint pain.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

In his third term, Lula has been credited with expanding social programs, a major overhaul of the tax system, and reducing deforestation in the Amazon.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

I understand the usual arguments — reducing future RMDs, avoiding higher future tax brackets, and creating tax-free assets for heirs — but I’m not sure they carry much weight in my particular case.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

“We are organizing the Division to be lean, flat and agile, reducing excessive bureaucratic oversight so that the Fraud Division’s career prosecutors…can focus on following the facts and charging violations of the law.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

While Sumerian and Mesoamerican languages bear no special relation to each other among the world’s languages, both raised similar basic issues in reducing them to writing.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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