Term: reduce
reduce (verb): to make something smaller or less in size, amount, degree, or importance.
synonyms: decrease, lessen, diminish, cut, curtail.
pronunciation: /rɪˈdjuːs/
translation: samazināt, mazināt, reducēt
example: The company is trying to reduce its carbon footprint by switching to renewable energy sources.
other words from this root: reduction (noun), reducible (adjective), reduced (adjective).
Contextual Usage
- Cooking: To boil a liquid (like a sauce) so that it becomes thicker and more concentrated. (“Simmer the sauce for ten minutes to reduce it.”)
- Mathematics: To change a fraction to its simplest form. (“You can reduce 4/8 to 1/2.”)
- Sustainability: Part of the “Three Rs”—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Common Collocations
| Phrase | Meaning |
| Reduce to tears | To make someone cry. |
| Reduce to rubble | To completely destroy a building or city. |
| Reduced price | A lower price than usual (a discount). |
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
reduce (verb)transitive verb
1.
a) to draw together or cause to converge - consolidate reduce all the questions to one
b) (1) to diminish in size, amount, extent, or number - reduce taxes reduce the likelihood of war
(2) to decrease the volume and concentrate the flavor of by boiling - add the wine and reduce the sauce for two minutes
c) to narrow down - restrict the Indians were reduced to small reservations
d) to make shorter - abridge
2.
archaic to restore to righteousness - save
3.
to bring to a specified state or condition - the impact of the movie reduced them to tears
4.
a) to force to capitulate
b) - force compel
5.
a) to bring to a systematic form or character - reduce natural events to laws
b) to put down in written or printed form - reduce an agreement to writing
6.
to correct (as a fracture) by bringing displaced or broken parts back into their normal positions
7.
a) to lower in grade or rank - demote
b) to lower in condition or status - downgrade
8.
a) to diminish in strength or density
b) to diminish in value
9.
a) (1) to change the denominations or form of without changing the value
(2) to construct a geometrical figure similar to but smaller than (a given figure)
b) to transpose from one form into another - convert
c) to change (an expression) to an equivalent but more fundamental expression - reduce a fraction
10.
to break down (as by crushing or grinding) - pulverize
11.
a) to bring to the metallic state by removal of nonmetallic elements - reduce an ore by heat
b) - deoxidize
c) to combine with or subject to the action of hydrogen
d) (1) to change (an element or ion) from a higher to a lower oxidation state
(2) to add one or more electrons to (an atom or ion or molecule)
12.
intransitive verb
to change (a stressed vowel) to an unstressed vowel
1.
a) (1) to become diminished or lessened , especially to lose weight by dieting
(2) to become - reduced ferric iron reduces to ferrous iron
b) to become concentrated or consolidated
c) to undergo meiosis
2.
to become converted or equated decrease, conquer
Merriam-Webster Online Thesaurus
reduce (verb)1.
to bring to a lower grade or rank
SYNONYMS:
break, bust, degrade, disrate, downgrade, reduceRELATED WORDS:
can, cashier, dismiss, downsize, fire, lay off, sack; abase, debase, demean, humble, humiliate, lowerNEAR ANTONYMS:
hire2.
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
SYNONYMS:
abate, de-escalate, dent, deplete, diminish, downscale, downsize, drop, dwindle, ease, knock down, lessen, lower, reduceRELATED WORDS:
compress, condense, constrict, contract; abbreviate, abridge, clip, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, dock, nick, pare, prune, retrench, shorten, slash, trim, truncate, whittle; deflate, shrink; minimize; moderate, modify, modulate, qualifyNEAR ANTONYMS:
blow up, dilate, distend, inflate, swell; elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract; add (to), complement, supplement; enhance, heighten, intensify; redouble3.
to diminish the price or value of
SYNONYMS:
attenuate, break, cheapen, depress, devaluate, devalue, downgrade, lower, mark down, reduce, sink, write down, write offRELATED WORDS:
debase, demonetize; underestimate, underprice, underrate, undervalue; abridge, compress, contract, de-escalate, deflate, downsize, dwindle, lessen, moderate, shrinkNEAR ANTONYMS:
bloat, blow up, inflate; overestimate, overprice, overrate, overvalue; add, aggrandize, amplify, augment, balloon, boost, compound, dilate, enlarge, escalate, expand, extend, heighten, increase, maximize, multiply, raise, swell, up