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reduce
[ri-doos, -dyoos]
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, diminishAntonyms: increaseto lower in degree, intensity, etc..
to reduce the speed of a car.
to bring down to a lower rank, dignity, etc..
a sergeant reduced to a corporal
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.
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.
to add electrons to.
to deoxidize.
to add hydrogen to.
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
/ 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
to undergo or cause to undergo a chemical reaction with hydrogen or formation of a hydride
to lose or cause to lose oxygen atoms
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
Other Word Forms
- antireducing adjective
- nonreducing adjective
- overreduce verb
- reducibility noun
- reducible adjective
- reducibly adverb
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of reduce1
Example Sentences
Some work has been done to reduce fuels in the roughly 100-acre stretch of forest, but not all areas were treated.
The man’s attorney presented surveillance footage of the attack to show his client was in fact defending himself, and later requested that the charges be reduced to a misdemeanor.
The White House this year laid off or bought out nearly 5,000 Forest Service employees as part of its broader move to restructure the federal government to reduce waste and save taxpayers’ money.
Competitors and publishers faced higher costs and reduced revenues as a result, it said, claiming these may have been passed to consumers in the form of more expensive services.
The SSE tariff decrease means the annual gas bill of a typical household will reduce by about £94 per year.
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