reduce
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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to lower in degree, intensity, etc..
to reduce the speed of a car.
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to bring down to a lower rank, dignity, etc..
a sergeant reduced to a corporal
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to treat analytically, as a complex idea.
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to lower in price.
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to bring to a certain state, condition, arrangement, etc..
to reduce glass to powder.
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to bring under control or authority.
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Cooking. to evaporate water from (a sauce, soup, or other liquid), usually by boiling.
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Photography. to lessen the density of (an exposed negative).
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to adjust or correct by making allowances, as an astronomical observation.
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Mathematics. to change the denomination or form, but not the value, of (a fraction, polynomial, etc.).
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Chemistry.
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to add electrons to.
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to deoxidize.
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to add hydrogen to.
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to change (a compound) so that the valence of the positive element is lower.
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Chemistry, Metallurgy. to bring into the metallic state by separating from nonmetallic constituents.
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to thin or dilute.
to reduce paint with oil or turpentine.
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to lower the alcoholic concentration of (spirits) by diluting with water.
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Surgery. to restore to the normal place, relation, or condition, as a fractured bone.
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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)
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to become reduced.
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to become lessened, especially in weight.
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to be turned into or made to equal something.
All our difficulties reduce to financial problems.
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Cell Biology. to undergo meiosis.
verb
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(also intr) to make or become smaller in size, number, extent, degree, intensity, etc
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to bring into a certain state, condition, etc
to reduce a forest to ashes
to reduce someone to despair
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(also intr) to make or become slimmer; lose or cause to lose excess weight
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to impoverish (esp in the phrase in reduced circumstances )
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to bring into a state of submission to one's authority; subjugate
the whole country was reduced after three months
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to bring down the price of (a commodity)
the shirt was reduced in the sale
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to lower the rank or status of; demote
he was reduced from corporal to private
reduced to the ranks
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to set out systematically as an aid to understanding; simplify
his theories have been reduced in a popular treatise
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maths to modify or simplify the form of (an expression or equation), esp by substitution of one term by another
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cookery to make (a sauce, stock, etc) more concentrated by boiling away some of the water in it
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to thin out (paint) by adding oil, turpentine, etc; dilute
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(also intr) chem
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to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction with hydrogen or formation of a hydride
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to lose or cause to lose oxygen atoms
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to undergo or cause to undergo an increase in the number of electrons Compare oxidize
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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
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surgery to manipulate or reposition (a broken or displaced bone, organ, or part) back to its normal site
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(also intr) biology to undergo or cause to undergo meiosis
Other Word Forms
- antireducing adjective
- nonreducing adjective
- overreduce verb
- reducibility noun
- reducible adjective
- reducibly adverb
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”
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.
Cameras caught him appearing to doze in December at a cabinet meeting and during a November announcement about reducing the cost of weight-loss medication.
Their findings show that public Montessori preschool programs serving children ages 3 to 6 deliver stronger early learning outcomes than traditional preschool options, while also reducing costs for school districts and taxpayers.
From Science Daily
“It’s great for aerobic conditioning, losing weight and muscle toning. It’s also low-impact, so reduces risks of getting injured.”
From Los Angeles Times
Cinema owners fear that Netflix or Paramount acquiring Warner could reduce the number of theatrical releases or speed the time to streaming platforms.
With a tepid energy market and Saudi Arabia facing a budget crunch, the kingdom is looking for an influx of funds from foreign visitors and expats to help reduce its fiscal deficit.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
