Definition of reduce - WordReference.com Dictionary

WordReference.com English Dictionary

reduce:

in Spanish | in French | in Italian
in context | images

Listen:

US - UK

Adapted From: WordNet 2.0 Copyright 2003 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

reduce
A	verb
	1	reduce, melt off, lose weight, slim, slenderize, thin, slim down
			take off weight
		Category Tree: change ╚change state; turn ╚reduce, melt off, lose weight, slim, slenderize, thin, slim down ╚sweat off
	2	dilute, thin, thin out, reduce, cut
			lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture; "cut bourbon"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚weaken ╚dilute, thin, thin out, reduce, cut ╚water down
	3	reduce, tighten
			narrow or limit; "reduce the influx of foreigners"
		Category Tree: prevent; keep ╚restrain; suppress; keep; keep back; hold back ╚control; hold in; hold; contain; check; curb; moderate ╚restrict; restrain; trammel; limit; bound; confine; throttle ╚reduce, tighten
	4	reduce, boil down, concentrate
			cook until very little liquid is left; "The cook reduced the sauce by boiling it for a long time"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚decrease; lessen; minify ╚reduce, boil down, concentrate
	5	boil down, reduce, decoct, concentrate
			be cooked until very little liquid is left; "The sauce should reduce to one cup"
		Category Tree: change ╚change magnitude ╚decrease; diminish; lessen; fall ╚boil down, reduce, decoct, concentrate
	6	reduce, come down, boil down
			be the essential element; "The proposal boils down to a compromise"
		Category Tree: change ╚transform; transmute; metamorphose ╚become; turn ╚reduce, come down, boil down
	7	deoxidize, deoxidise, reduce
			to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons
		Category Tree: change ╚deoxidize, deoxidise, reduce ╚pole ╚benficiate
	8	reduce, scale down
			make smaller; "reduce an image"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚decrease; lessen; minify ╚shrink; reduce ╚reduce, scale down
	9	shrink, reduce
			reduce in size; reduce physically; "Hot water will shrink the sweater"; "Can you shrink this image?"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚decrease; lessen; minify ╚shrink, reduce ╚contract ╚depopulate; desolate ╚miniaturize; miniaturise ╚reef ╚reduce; scale down
	10	reduce
			make less complex; "reduce a problem to a single question"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚simplify ╚reduce ╚abbreviate
	11	abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce
			reduce in scope while retaining essential elements; "The manuscript must be shortened"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚decrease; lessen; minify ╚abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce ╚digest; condense; concentrate ╚bowdlerize; bowdlerise; expurgate; castrate; shorten
	12	reduce, cut down, cut back, trim, trim down, trim back, cut, bring down
			cut down on; make a reduction in; "reduce your daily fat intake"; "The employer wants to cut back health benefits"
		Category Tree: change; alter; modify ╚decrease; lessen; minify ╚reduce, cut down, cut back, trim, trim down, trim back, cut, bring down ╚inflate ╚deflate ╚take away; detract ╚thin ╚thin out ╚slash ╚retrench ╚quench ╚shorten
	13	reduce
			reposition (a broken bone after surgery) back to its normal site
		Category Tree: move; displace ╚put; set; place; pose; position; lay ╚reposition ╚reduce
	14	reduce
			undergo meiosis; "The cells reduce"
		Category Tree: change ╚separate; divide; part ╚reduce
	15	reduce
			lower in grade or rank or force somebody into an undignified situation; "She reduced her niece to a servant"
		Category Tree: make; create ╚arouse; elicit; enkindle; kindle; evoke; fire; raise; provoke ╚hurt; wound; injure; bruise; offend; spite ╚humiliate; mortify; chagrin; humble; abase ╚take down; degrade; disgrace; demean; put down ╚reduce
	16	reduce
			simplify the form of a mathematical equation of expression by substituting one term for another
		Category Tree: transfer ╚exchange; change; interchange ╚substitute; replace ╚reduce
	17	reduce
			lessen and make more modest; "reduce one's standard of living"
		Category Tree: have; have got; hold ╚keep; hold on ╚deny; refuse ╚withhold; keep back ╚deprive ╚impoverish ╚reduce
	18	reduce
			bring to humbler or weaker state or condition; "He reduced the population to slavery"
		Category Tree: appoint; charge ╚delegate; designate; depute; assign ╚demote; bump; relegate; break; kick downstairs ╚reduce
	19	repress, quash, keep down, subdue, subjugate, reduce
			put down by force or intimidation; "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land"
		Category Tree: oppress; suppress; crush ╚repress, quash, keep down, subdue, subjugate, reduce

Look up "reduce" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "reduce" at dictionary.com

Forum discussions with the word(s) 'reduce' in the title:

You must reduce your ...
reduce one third in that population
You can use Hibernate Core and Hibernate Annotations to reduce your lines of code...
I want you to agree to reduce premium ...
reduce/minimize
better reduce vs. reduce further vs. reduce more than
To reduce/deminish your headache
reduce pain/pains
deduct/reduce 2 points
to ease/soothe/reduce my pain.
"reduce this problem"
reduce her time at/from/of practice
reduce the reliability
The scope was to reduce the phone calls' number needed.
reduce your voice level
For any questions about this word or definition:

Ask in the forums yourself.
Visit the English Only Forum.