- 1[transitive] to make something less or smaller in size, quantity, price, etc. reduce something Reduce speed now (= on a sign). Giving up smoking reduces the risk of heart disease. reduce something by something Costs have been reduced by 20% over the past year. reduce something (from something) (to something) The number of employees was reduced from 40 to 25. The skirt was reduced to $30 in the sale.
- 2[transitive, intransitive] reduce (something) if you reduce a liquid or a liquid reduces, you boil it so that it becomes less in quantity
- 3[intransitive] (informal) to lose weight by limiting the amount and type of food that you eat a reducing plan
- 4[transitive] reduce something (to something) to change a fraction to the form with the lowest numbers The fraction 2/10 can be reduced to 1/5.
- 5[transitive] reduce something (chemistry) to add one or more electrons to a substance, or to remove oxygen from a substance compare oxidize Idioms
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NAmE//rɪˈdus//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they reduce he / she / it reduces
past simple reduced
-ing form reducing
the state of being poorer than you were before. People say‘living in reduced circumstances’to avoid saying‘poor.’ Phrasal Verbsreduce toreduce to doing
Check pronunciation: reduce