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reduce

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English reducen, from Old French reduire, from Latin redūcō (“reduce”); from re- (“back”) + dūcō (“lead”). See duke, and compare with redoubt.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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reduce (third-person singular simple present reduces, present participle reducing, simple past and past participle reduced)

  1. (transitive) To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.
    Synonyms: cut, decrease, lower; see also Thesaurus:diminish
    Antonyms: enlarge, increase; see also Thesaurus:augment
    to reduce weight, speed, heat, expenses, price, personnel etc.
    • 2012 January, Stephen Ledoux, “Behaviorism at 100”, in American Scientist‎[1], volume 100, number 1, archived from the original on 10 November 2013, page 60:
      Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.
    • 2022 January 12, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Emergency timetables as absences surge due to COVID”, in RAIL, number 948, page 6:
      Most train operators have reduced services with emergency timetables, as they struggle to cope with a rapid increase in staff absences due to the Omicron variant of COVID.
    • 2024 May 17, Orko Manna, “Toll lane project on Interstate 80 between West Sacramento and Davis gets green light”, in KCRA‎[2], archived from the original on 22 May 2024:
      Drivers like the idea of increasing traffic flow and reducing congestion on the portion of I-80 between Davis and West Sacramento.
  2. (intransitive) To lose weight.
  3. (transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
    Synonyms: disparage, humble, relegate, sink; see also Thesaurus:demean
    to reduce a sergeant to the ranks
  4. (transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
    Synonyms: overcome, surmount, vanquish; see also Thesaurus:defeat
    to reduce a province or a fort
  5. (transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition.
    to reduce a city to ashes
  6. (transitive) To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy).
    reduced to silence
    • 1983 December 31, “What a Drag”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 24, page 9:
      The press release calls him "the hottest female impressionist in show business today." (One wonders how many more words press agents will have to come up with before they are reduced to actually saying "drag queen.")
  8. (transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off.
    Synonyms: inspissate; see also Thesaurus:thicken
    • 2011, Edward Behr, James MacGuire, The Art of Eating Cookbook: Essential Recipes from the First 25 Years.:
      Serve the oxtails with mustard or a sauce made by reducing the soup, if any is left, to a slightly thick sauce.
  10. (transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
    Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol.
  11. (transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
  12. (transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
  13. (transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
  14. (transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
  15. (transitive, law) To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as “reduce to writing”.)
    It is important that all business contracts be reduced to writing.
  17. (transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
  18. (transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square).
  19. (transitive, military) To strike off the payroll.
  20. (transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means.
  21. (transitive, phonetics, phonology) To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort.
    The first vowel of support is reduced to schwa by most English speakers.
  22. (transitive, obsolete) To translate (a book, document, etc.).
    a book reduced into English

Derived terms

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Translations

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to decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

See also

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References

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Galician

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Verb

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reduce

  1. inflection of reducir:
    1. third-person singular present indicative
    2. second-person singular imperative

Italian

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Etymology 1

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    Inherited from Latin redux (“that returns”).

    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    reduce m or f by sense (plural reduci)

    1. returning [with da ‘from’]

    Noun

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    reduce m or f by sense (plural reduci)

    1. survivor
      Synonym: sopravvissuto
    2. veteran
      Synonym: veterano

    Etymology 2

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    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Pronunciation

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    Verb

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    reduce

    1. third-person singular present indicative of (archaic) redurre

    References

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    1. ^ reduce in Bruno Migliorini et al., Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia, Rai Eri, 2025
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 reduce in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

    Further reading

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    • “rèduce”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

    Anagrams

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    Latin

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    Etymology 1

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    Pronunciation

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    Verb

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    redūce

    1. second-person singular present active imperative of redūcō

    Etymology 2

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    Pronunciation

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    Adjective

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    rĕduce

    1. ablative masculine/feminine/neuter singular of rē̆dux

    Romanian

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    Alternative forms

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    Etymology

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    Borrowed from Latin reducere, French réduire, based on duce. Compare the inherited doublet arăduce.

    Pronunciation

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    • IPA(key): /reˈdu.t͡ʃe/, [re̞ˈd̪u.t͡ʃe̞]
    • Rhymes: -ut͡ʃe
    • Hyphenation: re‧du‧ce

    Verb

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    a reduce (third-person singular present reduce, past participle redus, third-person subjunctive reducă) 3rd conjugation

    1. (transitive) to reduce, to lessen

    Conjugation

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        conjugation of reduce (third conjugation, past participle in -s)
    infinitive a reduce
    gerund reducând
    past participle redus
    number singular plural
    person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
    indicative eu tu el/ea noi voi ei/ele
    present reduc reduci reduce reducem reduceți reduc
    imperfect reduceam reduceai reducea reduceam reduceați reduceau
    simple perfect redusei reduseși reduse reduserăm reduserăți reduseră
    pluperfect redusesem reduseseși redusese reduseserăm reduseserăți reduseseră
    subjunctive eu tu el/ea noi voi ei/ele
    present să reduc să reduci să reducă să reducem să reduceți să reducă
    imperative — tu — — voi —
    affirmative redu reduceți
    negative nu reduce nu reduceți

    Derived terms

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    See also

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    Further reading

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    Spanish

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    Verb

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    reduce

    1. inflection of reducir:
      1. third-person singular present indicative
      2. second-person singular imperative
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