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1. Dictionary

   re·duce

   /rəˈdo͞os/

   verb

   • 1. make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size: "the need for businesses to reduce costs" Similar lessenmake lessmake smallerlowerbring downdecreaseturn downdiminishtake the edge offminimizeshrinknarrowcontractshortenforeshortentruncatetapercloseabbreviatecondenseconcentrateabridgedepleteaxecutcut back/downmake cutbacks inscale downtrimslim (down)prunechopcurtaillimitmoderatelighteneasedilutemitigatecommutequalifyalleviaterelaxabateamortizemake cheaperlower the price oflower/cut in pricecheapencutmark downdiscountput on saleoffer at a giveaway priceinformal:slashknock downOpposite increaseenlargeput up
   • ▪ become smaller or less in size, amount, or degree: "the number of priority homeless cases has reduced slightly"
   • ▪ boil (a sauce or other liquid) in cooking so that it becomes thicker and more concentrated: "increase the heat and reduce the liquid"
   • ▪ (of a person) lose weight, typically by dieting: North American "by May she had reduced to 125 pounds"
   • ▪ make (a negative or print) less dense.
   • ▪ articulate (a speech sound) in a way requiring less muscular effort. In vowels, this gives rise to a more central articulatory position.
   • 2. bring someone or something to (a lower or weaker state, condition, or role): "she has been reduced to near poverty" Similar bring tobring to the point offorce intodrive into
   • ▪ (of a person) be forced by difficult circumstances into doing something desperate: "ordinary soldiers are reduced to begging"
   • ▪ make someone helpless with (an expression of emotion, especially with hurt, shock, or amusement): "Olga was reduced to stunned silence"
   • ▪ force someone into (obedience or submission): "he succeeds in reducing his grandees to due obedience" Similar bring tobring to the point offorce intodrive into
   • 3. change a substance to (a different or more basic form): "it is difficult to understand how lava could have been reduced to dust"
   • ▪ present a problem or subject in (a simplified form): "he reduces unimaginable statistics to manageable proportions"
   • ▪ convert a fraction to (the form with the lowest terms).
   • 4. cause to combine chemically with hydrogen: "hydrogen for reducing the carbon dioxide"
   • ▪ undergo or cause to undergo a reaction in which electrons are gained by one atom from another: "this compound reduces to potassium chloride"
   • 5. restore (a dislocated part) to its proper position by manipulation or surgery: "Joe's reducing a dislocated thumb"
   • 6. besiege and capture (a town or fortress). archaic

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Latin reducere, from re- ‘back, again’ + ducere ‘bring, lead’. The original sense was ‘bring back’ (hence ‘restore’, now surviving in reduce (sense 5)); this led to ‘bring to a different state’, then ‘bring to a simpler or lower state’ (hence reduce (sense 3)); and finally ‘diminish in size or amount’ (reduce (sense 1), dating from the late 18th century).

   Derivatives

   • 1. reducer noun

   Scrabble Points: 9

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

   • D

     2

   • U

     1

   • C

     3

   • E

     1

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   More definitions, origin and scrabble points

2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › reduceReduce Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › reduce

   • Cached

   The meaning of REDUCE is to draw together or cause to converge : consolidate. How to use reduce in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Reduce.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishREDUCE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   to become or to make something become smaller in size, amount, degree, importance, etc.: Do nuclear weapons really reduce the risk of war? The plane reduced speed as it approached the airport. My weight reduces when I stop eating sugar. We bought a TV that was reduced from £500 to £350 in the sales. I reduced the problem to a few simple questions.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › reduceREDUCE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › reduce

   • Cached

   Reduce definition: to bring down to a smaller extent, size, amount, number, etc.. See examples of REDUCE used in a sentence.

5. www.merriam-webster.com › thesaurus › reduceREDUCE Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › thesaurus › reduce

   • Cached

   Synonyms for REDUCE: demote, degrade, downgrade, dismiss, bust, can, sack, break; Antonyms of REDUCE: promote, raise, advance, elevate, hire, increase, expand, augment

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › reduceReduce - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › reduce

   You reduce something when you lessen its volume, size, or degree. That's why we say when someone goes on a diet, it's because they want to reduce; it's a polite way of suggesting they need to drop pounds and become a smaller size.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryREDUCE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

   • Cached

   to make something less in size, amount, degree, importance, or price: A low-fat diet can reduce the risk of heart disease. Grunn employs 17,900 people, but that number will be reduced by 500 workers.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishreduce - Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english

   • Cached

   Definition of reduce verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

9. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishREDUCE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

   www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

   • Cached

   verb(mainly tr) 1.(also intr) to make or become smaller in size, number, extent, degree, intensity, etc. 2. to bring into a certain state, condition, etc. to reduce a forest to ashes. to reduce someone to despair. 3.(also intr) to make or become slimmer; lose or cause to lose excess weight.

10. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishREDUCE | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary

    dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

    • Cached

    REDUCE definition: 1. to make something less: 2. to add one or more electrons to a substance or to remove oxygen from…. Learn more.

11. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › american_english › reducereduce verb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes...

    www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › american_english › reduce

    • Cached

    Definition of reduce verb in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.