scale down

Idioms  

1. Reduce the size or cost of, as in The owners decided to scale down wages. This expression, along with the related scale up, which refers to an increase, alludes to scale in the sense of “a fixed standard.” [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Moscow was forced to scale down its May 9th Victory Day parade, usually marked by a grand military show.

From Barron's • May 17, 2026

Extreme weather conditions are causing severe disruptions to logistics operations across Europe, with cargo vessels sheltering and terminals forced to halt or scale down activity, Maersk said on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

And Article 25 states "the relevant Fifa judicial body may scale down the disciplinary measure to be imposed or even dispense with it entirely".

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025

In the next year or two, there will once again be questions about whether he should remain a two-way player, or perhaps whether he should scale down his workload.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 24, 2025

Alexander had drawn a map of the nursery, tinted with watercolors and oriented according to the compass, with all the furniture drawn to scale, down to the last footstool.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• curtail
• cut
• cut down
• decrease
• depreciate
• devalue
• diminish
• downgrade
• knock off
• lessen
• pare
• slash
• soften