pare
C1Formal / Technical / Literary
Definition
Meaning
To cut away the outer skin, edge, or excess from something, typically using a knife or similar tool.
To reduce something gradually, especially by removing small amounts; to trim down.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a transitive verb. Often implies precision, care, and a gradual, systematic reduction. The object is usually a tangible thing (fruit, nails) or a metaphorical quantity (costs, staff).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or usage. The word is equally understood and used in both varieties.
Connotations
Neutral; implies careful reduction. Slightly more formal or literary in everyday contexts.
Frequency
Low to moderate frequency in both varieties. More common in written or formal contexts than in casual speech.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
NP ~ NP (He pared the apple.)NP ~ NP down/back (The company pared its workforce down.)NP ~ away at NP (She pared away at the excess material.)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “pare to the bone”
- “pare down to the essentials”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used metaphorically for reducing budgets, costs, or staff: 'The new CEO's strategy is to pare non-essential expenditures.'
Academic
Rare; may appear in historical or economic texts discussing reduction.
Everyday
Most common in cooking/domestic contexts: 'Could you pare these potatoes for me?'
Technical
Used in woodworking, surgery, and horticulture to describe precise cutting/trimming.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Pare the carrots thinly before roasting.
- The council must pare back its spending plans.
- He carefully pared away the rotten wood.
American English
- Pare the apples for the pie.
- We need to pare down our operating costs.
- She pared her nails before the interview.
adverb
British English
- No common adverb form.
American English
- No common adverb form.
adjective
British English
- No common adjective form.
American English
- No common adjective form.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Pare the potato, please.
- I pare my nails every week.
- The recipe says to pare the skin from the oranges.
- They had to pare the budget after losing the contract.
- The sculptor pared away fragments of marble to reveal the form within.
- To stay competitive, the firm is paring down its middle management.
- His minimalist approach pares the narrative down to its most essential elements.
- The government's austerity measures pared public services to the bone.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a PEAR. To PARE a pear, you cut its skin off. 'Pare' and 'pear' sound the same!
Conceptual Metaphor
REDUCTION IS PARING (e.g., paring down debt, paring back commitments).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'pair' (пара). They are homophones.
- The Russian verb 'чистить' is broader (to clean). 'Pare' is specifically about cutting/trimming away edges/skin/excess.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'They need to pair down the budget.' (Should be 'PARE down').
- Incorrect use of preposition: 'Pare off' is less common than 'pare away' or 'pare down'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the LEAST likely context for the verb 'pare'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Pare' implies cutting thinly and precisely, often with a knife. 'Peel' usually means removing a skin or layer by pulling or with a peeler. 'Trim' is more general, meaning to cut away unwanted parts to make neat.
It's not a high-frequency everyday word. It's more common in formal, business (pare down), or specific domestic/craft contexts.
Rarely. Its primary use is transitive (pare something). The phrasal verb 'pare down' can be used with or without an object ('We need to pare down' or 'We need to pare down the list').
There is no direct noun form. Related nouns are 'paring' (the act, or a thin piece cut off) and 'parings' (the pieces cut off).