Word Explorer

Reduce

/ɹɪˈdjuːs/

To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.

📖 Definitions of "Reduce"

verb
  1. 1

    To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.

    "to reduce weight, speed, heat, expenses, price, personnel etc."

  2. 2

    To lose weight.

  3. 3

    To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.

    "Hester Prynne was shocked at the condition to which she found the clergyman reduced."

  4. 4

    To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.

    "to reduce a province or a fort"

🔄 Synonyms of "Reduce"

30 synonyms found via WordNet and Google Books.

WordDefinition
subjugateverbTo forcibly impose obedience, servitude, or submission upon (a country, a people, etc.).
subdueverb(transitive) To overcome, quieten, or bring under control.
contractnounAn agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
shrinkverb(intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
quashverbTo defeat decisively, to suppress.
thinverbHaving little body fat or flesh; slim; slender; lean; gaunt.
trimnoun(transitive) To reduce slightly; to cut; especially, to remove excess.
concentrateverb(intransitive) To focus one's thought or attention (on).
abbreviateverb(transitive) To reduce a word or phrase by means of contraction or omission to a shorter recognizable form.
cutverb(chiefly transitive) To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
repressverb(transitive, by extension) To check; to keep back.
diluteverb(transitive) To make thinner by adding solvent to a solution, especially by adding water.
cut downverb(idiomatic) To reduce the amount of something.
bring downverb(transitive) To make (a ruler or government) lose their position of power.
decoctverb(cooking) To reduce, or concentrate by boiling down.
cut backverb(transitive and intransitive with on) To reduce the amount of (something).
simplifyverb(transitive) To make simpler, either by reducing in complexity, reducing to component parts, or making easier to understand.
foreshortenverbTo make shorter.
scale downverb(transitive) To reduce the size of something whilst maintaining proportion.
tightenverb(transitive) To make tighter.
come downverb(intransitive) To decrease.
keep downverb(transitive) To repress.
slenderizeverb(transitive) To make more slender.
boil downverb(transitive) To reduce (to the most central elements or ingredients: to the essence, core, or implication for action).
deoxidizeverb(transitive) (chemistry) To remove oxygen from.

↔️ Antonyms of "Reduce"

Words with the opposite meaning.

WordDefinition
enlargeverb(transitive) To make (something) larger.
blow upverbUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see blow, up.
magnifyverb(transitive) To make (something) larger or more important.
put onverb(transitive) To don (clothing, equipment, or the like).
oxidizeverb(chemistry, transitive) To combine with oxygen or otherwise make an oxide.
oxidiseverb(British spelling) Alternative spelling of oxidize. [(chemistry, transitive) To combine with oxygen or otherwise make an oxide.]
gainverb(intransitive) To have or receive advantage or profit; to acquire gain; to grow rich; to advance in interest, health, or happiness; to make progress.

💡 Words with a Similar Meaning to "Reduce"

Found via reverse dictionary — words that share a conceptual meaning.

WordDefinition
cut backverb(transitive and intransitive with on) To reduce the amount of (something).
scale downverb(transitive) To reduce the size of something whilst maintaining proportion.
shrinkverb(intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
trimverb(transitive) To reduce slightly; to cut; especially, to remove excess.
quashverbTo defeat decisively, to suppress.
keep downverb(transitive) To repress.
bring downverb(transitive) To make (a ruler or government) lose their position of power.
repressverb(transitive, by extension) To check; to keep back.
shortenverb(transitive) To make shorter; to abbreviate.
come downverb(intransitive) To decrease.
subdueverb(transitive) To overcome, quieten, or bring under control.
abridgeverb(transitive) To make shorter; to shorten in duration or extent.
slim downverb(ambitransitive) To reduce weight; to make or become thinner.
lose weightverb(intransitive) To become less heavy or obese.
slenderizeverb(transitive) To make more slender.
thinverb(transitive) To make thin or thinner.
tightenverb(transitive) To make tighter.
diluteverb(transitive) To make thinner by adding solvent to a solution, especially by adding water.
slimverb(intransitive) To lose weight in order to achieve slimness.
cut downverb(idiomatic) To reduce the amount of something.

Words Strongly Associated with "Reduce"

These words statistically appear in the same text as "reduce" (Google Books Ngrams).

🎨 Adjectives for "Reduce"

Popular adjectives used to describe this word in books.

🏷️ Nouns for "Reduce"

Common nouns this word is used to describe.

📝 Common Phrases with "Reduce"

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