Meaning & use
reduce
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To make something smaller in size, amount, or degree.
Grammar: Takes an object: reduce costs, reduce speed.
Patterns
- reduce something
- reduce something by something
- reduce something to something
We need to reduce our expenses this month.
The medicine reduced her pain significantly.
The company reduced its workforce by 10 percent.
verbintransitive
To become smaller in size, amount, or degree.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'to' or 'by': The risk reduced to zero.
Patterns
- reduce to something
- reduce by something
The number of accidents has reduced sharply.
The population reduced to half its original size.
verbtransitive or intransitivetechnical
To thicken a liquid by boiling it so that water evaporates.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: reduce the sauce / let the sauce reduce.
Patterns
- reduce a liquid
- reduce something to something
Reduce the wine to half its volume.
Simmer the stock until it reduces.
verbtransitive
To bring someone or something to a worse or simpler state.
Grammar: Often used with 'to': reduce someone to tears, reduce something to rubble.
Patterns
- reduce someone to something
- reduce something to something
The bombing reduced the city to ruins.
His cruel words reduced her to tears.
Word forms
| third person singular | reduces |
|---|---|
| past tense | reduced |
| past participle | reduced |
| -ing form | reducing |
Common combinations
- reduce costs
- The firm is trying to reduce costs by using cheaper materials.
- reduce the risk
- Regular exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease.
- reduce speed
- You must reduce speed when approaching the school.
- reduce to tears
- The sad story reduced everyone to tears.
- greatly reduce
- The new treatment greatly reduced the recovery time.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decrease
- Decrease is often intransitive and neutral; reduce is more often transitive and suggests deliberate action.
- lower
- Lower is common with physical height or levels; reduce is broader and more formal.
- cut
- Cut is informal and often means a sharp reduction; reduce is neutral and general.
- diminish
- Diminish is more formal and often intransitive; reduce is more direct and common.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: reduce or deduce? reduce or seduce?
reduce vs deduce
Deduce means to reach a conclusion by reasoning; reduce means to make smaller.
reduce vs seduce
Seduce means to persuade someone to do something, often by charm; reduce has no such meaning.
Practice
The new policy aims to ______ the number of traffic accidents.
Choose one answer.
After 'to' we need the base form 'reduce'. 'Reducing' is the -ing form, 'reduced' is past tense, and 'reduces' is third person singular, none of which fit after 'to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reduce”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.