reduce
B1Neutral to formal. Common in academic, business, and everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
to make something smaller in size, amount, degree, importance, or price.
To bring something (e.g., a compound, a sauce) to a simpler or more concentrated form through chemical or physical processes; to force someone into a weaker or less favourable state or condition.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Implies a deliberate action leading to a decrease. Often used with quantifiable nouns (costs, waste, speed). Can also mean 'to summarise' or 'to demote'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both varieties use 'reduce' identically in core meanings. Some minor collocational preferences exist (e.g., 'reduce to tears' slightly more common in BrE).
Connotations
Largely identical. Positive in contexts of efficiency, waste reduction; negative in contexts of forced deprivation.
Frequency
Very high frequency in both varieties, with no significant disparity.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
reduce sthreduce sth from X to Yreduce sth by (amount/percentage)be reduced to (state/doing sth)reduce sth in size/numberVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “reduce to ashes”
- “reduce to rubble”
- “reduce someone to tears”
- “reduce to the ranks”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Focus on cutting expenses, headcount, or inefficiencies. e.g., 'The new software will reduce our operating costs by 15%.'
Academic
Used in scientific contexts (reduce a formula), social sciences (reduce inequality), and research summaries. e.g., 'The intervention reduced the incidence of the disease.'
Everyday
Common in cooking (reduce a sauce), weight loss, and household management. e.g., 'We're trying to reduce our plastic use.'
Technical
In chemistry: gain of electrons or decrease in oxidation state. In computing: a function that aggregates data. In surgery: to reposition a bone.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council aims to reduce litter in the park.
- Simmer the wine to reduce it by half.
- He was reduced to begging for money.
American English
- We need to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Reduce the heat and let the sauce thicken.
- The scandal reduced him to a laughingstock.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Please reduce the noise.
- Reduce speed now.
- The shop reduced all prices by 20%.
- We must reduce our use of water.
- The new policy successfully reduced carbon emissions.
- The company was forced to reduce its workforce.
- The argument was reduced to its fundamental axioms.
- Prolonged stress had reduced her to a state of chronic anxiety.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a DUCT (a pipe) getting RE-DUCED (made smaller). Re-duce = make smaller again.
Conceptual Metaphor
QUANTITY IS SIZE / IMPORTANCE IS SIZE (to reduce importance = to make it seem smaller).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'редуцировать' (a technical term). The common Russian equivalent for most contexts is 'сокращать', 'уменьшать', 'понижать'. Do not use 'урезать' for neutral contexts as it is too colloquial and negative.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect preposition: 'reduce of waste' (correct: reduce waste). Overuse in non-quantifiable contexts: 'reduce my happiness'. Confusion with 'reuse' or 'recycle'.
Practice
Quiz
In a chemical reaction, when a substance is 'reduced', it:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Reduce' is more active and deliberate, often implying an agent causing the change. 'Decrease' can be more neutral and statistical, often used intransitively.
Rarely in standard English. It is predominantly a transitive verb (requires an object). 'The swelling reduced' is possible but 'decreased' is more common.
It means to upset someone so much that they cry.
Yes, 'reduction' is the standard nominal form. 'Reducer' exists but is technical (e.g., a pipe fitting, a chemical agent).