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Reduce

//ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːs// verb

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower. transitive

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

  2. 2
    take off weight wordnet
  3. 3
    To lose weight. intransitive
  4. 4
    lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture wordnet
  5. 5
    To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote. transitive

    "to reduce a sergeant to the ranks"

Show 34 more definitions
  1. 6
    narrow or limit wordnet
  2. 7
    To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture. transitive

    "to reduce a province or a fort"

  3. 8
    cook until very little liquid is left wordnet
  4. 9
    To bring to an inferior state or condition. transitive

    "to reduce a city to ashes"

  5. 10
    be cooked until very little liquid is left wordnet
  6. 11
    To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy). transitive

    "reduced to silence"

  7. 12
    be the essential element wordnet
  8. 13
    To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off. transitive

    "Serve the oxtails with mustard or a sauce made by reducing the soup, if any is left, to a slightly thick sauce."

  9. 14
    to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons wordnet
  10. 15
    To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen. transitive

    "Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol."

  11. 16
    make smaller wordnet
  12. 17
    To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter. transitive
  13. 18
    reduce in size; reduce physically wordnet
  14. 19
    To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value. transitive
  15. 20
    make less complex wordnet
  16. 21
    To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm. transitive
  17. 22
    reduce in scope while retaining essential elements wordnet
  18. 23
    To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form. transitive
  19. 24
    cut down on; make a reduction in wordnet
  20. 25
    To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as "reduce to writing".) transitive

    "It is important that all business contracts be reduced to writing."

  21. 26
    destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it wordnet
  22. 27
    To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment. transitive
  23. 28
    reposition (a broken bone after surgery) back to its normal site wordnet
  24. 29
    To reform a line or column from (a square). transitive
  25. 30
    undergo meiosis wordnet
  26. 31
    To strike off the payroll. transitive
  27. 32
    lower in grade or rank or force somebody into an undignified situation wordnet
  28. 33
    To annul by legal means. transitive
  29. 34
    simplify the form of a mathematical equation of expression by substituting one term for another wordnet
  30. 35
    To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort. transitive

    "The first vowel of support is reduced to schwa by most English speakers."

  31. 36
    lessen and make more modest wordnet
  32. 37
    To translate (a book, document, etc.). obsolete, transitive

    "a book reduced into English"

  33. 38
    bring to humbler or weaker state or condition wordnet
  34. 39
    put down by force or intimidation wordnet

Etymology

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

See also for "reduce"

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