reduce

reduce — verb

1. to cause something to drop to a lower level in size, amount, or importance; or t

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to cause something to drop to a lower level in size, amount, or importance; or to become lower in any of these ways by itself

Example

The doctor told Minho to reduce his sugar intake for better health.

reduce + noun phrase (intake / amount / cost)

Nikhil reduced his working hours so he could pick up his daughter from school.

Common collocations
  • reduce costs
  • reduce emissions
  • reduce stress
  • reduce speed
  • reduce the risk
  • reduce significantly
  • reduce gradually
  • reduce by half
Synonyms
  • decrease

    slightly more formal; often used for statistics and numbers

  • lower

    focus on the level or position of something on a scale

  • cut

    more direct and deliberate; often implies a bigger drop

  • lessen

    more formal; suggests a gradual or partial reduction

Antonyms
  • increase

    opposite direction — make larger in size or amount

  • raise

    opposite of 'lower'; used for prices, levels, or standards

Grammar Patterns

reduce + noun phrase

noun + reduce(s) + (adverb)

Usage Note

Can be used both transitively (someone reduces something) and intransitively (something reduces on its own). Very common in health, business, and environmental contexts.

Common Mistakes

I reduced the letter to 500 words.
I shortened the letter to 500 words.
'Reduce' applies to size, amount, or degree, not to shortening a text when 'shorten' or 'cut' is more natural.
The price reduced by the store.
The store reduced the price.' or 'The price was reduced by the store.
With transitive use, the agent (store / company / person) must come before 'reduce'.

2. to cook a liquid like a sauce or stock by boiling so that it grows thicker and l

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to cook a liquid like a sauce or stock by boiling so that it grows thicker and loses volume; or for a liquid to thicken in this manner through heating

Example

Emre reduced the tomato sauce by simmering it on low heat for twenty minutes.

cooking: reduce + liquid by + simmering / boiling

The chef told Jason to reduce the chicken stock until about one cup remained.

Common collocations
  • reduce the sauce
  • reduce the stock
  • reduce by half
  • reduce over low heat
  • reduce until thickened
Synonyms
  • thicken

    focuses on the result (thicker texture), not the method

  • concentrate

    focuses on intensifying flavour rather than reducing volume

Antonyms
  • dilute

    adding liquid to make something thinner or weaker

Grammar Patterns

reduce + liquid (by + cooking method)

liquid reduce(s) + (adverb)

Usage Note

Used mainly in cooking instructions and recipes. The subject is often a chef or cook, or the liquid itself. Common in imperative mood in cookbooks: 'Reduce the mixture until thickened.'

Common Mistakes

I reduced the water for the tea.
I reduced the sauce for the pasta.
In cooking, 'reduce' applies to sauces, stocks, syrups, and other liquids that need thickening, not to plain water.

3. to move someone to a lower position or level, or to force someone or something i

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to move someone to a lower position or level, or to force someone or something into a worse state or condition than before

Example

The factory closure reduced many workers in the town to a life of unemployment.

phrasal pattern: reduce + to + noun phrase (a condition / state)

When Benjamin lost his job, he was reduced to asking friends for loan money.

reduce to + -ing form (forced into doing something humiliating)

Common collocations
  • reduce to tears
  • reduce to ruins
  • reduce to silence
  • reduce to poverty
  • reduce to begging
  • reduce to a shadow
Synonyms
  • demote

    specifically for rank or position in a job; more formal

  • downgrade

    for status, quality, or service level; often technical

  • degrade

    stronger; suggests loss of dignity or moral standing

Antonyms
  • promote

    move to a higher position or rank

  • elevate

    raise to a higher status or level

Grammar Patterns

reduce + someone/something + to + noun

be reduced to + noun/-ing form

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'to' + a noun phrase or the -ing form of a verb. Carries a strongly negative connotation, describing an unwelcome change to a less desirable state. Frequently used in passive voice.

Common Mistakes

The company reduced John's position.' (ambiguous).
John was reduced to a junior position after the reorganisation.
For rank or status, the passive construction with 'to' is much more natural and clear.
She reduced him to cry.
She reduced him to tears.' or 'She reduced him to crying in front of everyone.
After 'reduce to', use a noun or the -ing form, not the bare infinitive.
Phrasal verbs

reduce to

phrasal verb

To change something into a simpler or smaller form.

The chef reduced the sauce to a thick glaze.

Can you reduce this long report to just one page?

reduce to doing

phrasal verb

To force someone into a situation where they must do something they would not normally do.

The scandal reduced him to begging for forgiveness.

Poverty reduced her to stealing food from stores.

Idioms

reduced circumstances

idiom

A polite way to describe having less money than before.

After losing his job, the family lived in reduced circumstances.

She never complained about her reduced circumstances, even when money was tight.

Word family

  • reduction
    nounB2
  • reduced
    adjectiveB1
  • reducing
    adjectiveB2
  • reducible
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe making something smaller or less, but they differ in usage and tone. Reduce is the most general and neutral word, suitable for size, amount, importance, or degree — for example, reducing costs, stress, or speed. Decrease is slightly more formal and is often used with statistics or numbers, such as a decrease in population or temperature. Lower focuses on a position on a scale and is common with prices, levels, or volume: you lower the volume on a radio or the price of a product. Cut is more direct and deliberate, often implying a significant or intentional reduction, like cutting a budget or cutting jobs. Diminish is the most formal and suggests a gradual lessening, often of quality, reputation, or influence — a person's authority may diminish over time, but you would not typically 'diminish the price' of an item.

reduce ↗decrease ↗lower ↗cut ↗diminish ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • reduce the number of
  • reduce the amount of
  • reduce the risk of
  • reduce the need for

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'reduce' comes from Latin 'reducere', meaning 'to lead back' or 'to bring back' — from 're-' (back) and 'ducere' (to lead). It entered English through Old French 'reduire'. The original meaning of 'bringing back' has since faded; over time the word shifted from 'to restore' to 'to subdue' and finally to its modern sense of 'to make smaller or less'.