to make something smaller in size, amount, or degree, to simplify or make something more basic, to lower the price of something

reduce someone to something, reduce something to a science, reduce something to writing

reduce to tears, reduce to rubble, reduce to ashes

Formal and Informal Expressions of reduce

In different contexts, you can replace 'reduce' with suitable alternatives. In a more formal setting, 'decrease, diminish, lessen' is apt. In informal speech or writing, 'cut down, scale back, shrink' is a commonplace synonym.

reduce: Explore its Definition & Usage

reduce Definition

1to make something smaller in size, amount, or degree
2to simplify or make something more basic
3to lower the price of something

Using reduce: Examples

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "reduce" can be used in various situations through the following examples!

Example
We need to reduce our expenses to save money.
Example
The recipe calls for reducing the sauce by half.
Example
The company is planning to reduce its workforce.
Example
The government has promised to reduce taxes.

reduce Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms for reduce

Antonyms for reduce

Idioms Using reduce

reduce someone to something
to cause someone to be in a particular state or condition
Example
The constant criticism reduced him to a nervous wreck.
reduce something to a science
to study something in great detail and understand it completely
Example
He has reduced cooking to a science, experimenting with different ingredients and techniques.
reduce something to writing
to put something in writing, especially a legal agreement
Example
We need to reduce the terms of the contract to writing before we sign it.

Phrases with reduce

reduce to tears
to make someone cry
Example
The movie was so sad that it reduced me to tears.
reduce to rubble
to completely destroy a building or structure
Example
The earthquake reduced the city to rubble.
reduce to ashes
to completely burn something
Example
The fire reduced the house to ashes.

Origins of reduce

from Latin 'reducere', meaning 'bring back'

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Summary: reduce in Brief

The verb 'reduce' [rɪˈdjuːs] means to make something smaller, simpler, or less expensive. It can refer to decreasing expenses, simplifying a recipe, lowering the workforce, or reducing taxes. The phrase 'reduce to tears' means to make someone cry, while 'reduce to rubble' and 'reduce to ashes' mean to completely destroy something. The idiom 'reduce someone to something' means to cause someone to be in a particular state or condition.