reduce

verb

ri-ˈdüs How to pronounce reduce (audio)
Definition of reducenext
1
as in to demote
to bring to a lower grade or rank was reduced from team captain to team member as punishment for his misbehavior on the court

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to decrease
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent you'll have to reduce the amount of money you spend on unnecessary purchases if you want to have any money left for retirement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to lower
to diminish the price or value of a mortgage crisis that reduced homes to their lowest level in a decade

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb reduce differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of reduce are abate, decrease, diminish, dwindle, and lessen. While all these words mean "to grow or make less," reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

When would abate be a good substitute for reduce?

The synonyms abate and reduce are sometimes interchangeable, but abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

Where would decrease be a reasonable alternative to reduce?

The meanings of decrease and reduce largely overlap; however, decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

When can diminish be used instead of reduce?

While the synonyms diminish and reduce are close in meaning, diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

In what contexts can dwindle take the place of reduce?

In some situations, the words dwindle and reduce are roughly equivalent. However, dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

When is lessen a more appropriate choice than reduce?

The words lessen and reduce are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of reduce Their xG per shot has risen and the average distance from goal per shot has reduced. —Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025 Cost Savings: Automation reduces labor costs and minimizes errors. —Chris Gallagher, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2025 This has, among other losses, reduced Egyptian revenue from the Suez Canal by about eight hundred million dollars a month. —Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025 These layoffs reduced staffing at some local weather forecast offices to threadbare levels, causing some to reduce their services. —Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reduce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reduce
  1. demote
  2. decrease
  3. degrade
  4. depress
  5. deplete
  6. sink
  7. diminish
  8. attenuate
Verb
  • An additional 32 employees have been demoted and given pay cuts.
    — Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Martin has since sidelined prosecutors that worked on Jan. 6 cases, demoting several to entry-level positions.
    — Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of demote
Verb
  • Keeping those cuts on the books would decrease revenue by $4.5 trillion from 2025 through 2034, according to estimates from the Tax Foundation.
    — Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
  • However, their wage bills only decreased by 28 per cent.
    — Matt Slater, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of decrease
Verb
  • Thimerosal degrades into ethylmercury, which was judged not to be a danger at the level that would come from a vaccine.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The quality degrades a bit after the sun goes down.
    — PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 29 Mar. 2025
Definition of degrade
Verb
  • This threatens to significantly depress consumer purchasing and affect the entire industry.
    — Kristina Partsinevelos, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2025
  • The 25% tariffs on all car, truck, and auto part imports that the president announced Wednesday evening continued to depress automakers’ stocks Friday, with Stellantis (STLA) dropping 4.1%, Ford (F) down 2%, and General Motors (GM) off 1.1%.
    — Josh Fellman, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025
Definition of depress
Verb
  • This means ensuring your organization can maintain its mission over time without depleting resources or burning out your people.
    — Michel Koopman, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Williams figures to inherit a roster depleted by lack of eligibility, early entry into the NBA and the transfer portal.
    — Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 1 Apr. 2025
Definition of deplete
Verb
  • Kamikaze sank their first ship on Oct. 25, 1944, when a navy Zero pilot smashed into the USS St. Lo in the Philippine Sea while carrying a pair of 550-pound bombs.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Read Next North Carolina Ship carrying $1.5M in gold sank off NC 167 years ago.
    — Simone Jasper, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of sink
Verb
  • The VMAs, which have seen their social capital diminish over the past few years, delivered a promising ceremony in 2024.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2025
  • As time went on, her pain diminished, but August decided to go to the emergency room.
    — Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025
Definition of diminish
Verb
  • The normally thick horizon haze could attenuate and redden the sun's light somewhat giving it the appearance of a narrow slice of cantaloupe melon.
    — Joe Rao, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2025
  • For the most part, however, the forms of cooperation that have most worried Washington have directly involved that war, and its end will attenuate the coalition’s most important new bonds.
    — Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
Definition of attenuate

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Cite this Entry

“Reduce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reduce. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.

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