reduce

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

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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 The deregulation isn’t about reducing spending or identifying waste and fraud, Shore said. Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025 For conditions like canker sores, home remedies can reduce symptoms and prevent flare-ups. Mark Gurarie, Health, 16 Mar. 2025 In fall, reduce watering, keeping it a little more on the dry side until flower buds appear in late winter. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025 Having Verstappen, a wet-weather specialist, on his tail for the six-lap sprint to the line was a lot of pressure on Norris, with the gap reducing to a few tenths of a second with two laps to go. Luke Smith, The Athletic, 16 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for reduce
Recent Examples of Synonyms for reduce
Verb
  • Brigid got demoted by the Pope back in 1969, because there was not sufficient proof of her existence.
    Mary Norris, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Trump's speech Friday comes as his administration has spent the last several weeks trying to reconfigure the Justice Department, including demoting attorneys who worked on cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and firing officials who investigated the president himself.
    Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • By April 2024, fuel costs peaked for the year before starting to decrease again in May.
    Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Mar. 2025
  • These systems reduce manual checks, decreasing staff needed for routine tasks without replacing them entirely.
    Chris Ciabarra, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Israeli forces began military ground operations in Gaza, particularly the Hamas stronghold of Rafah in an effort to degrade the terror group's infrastructure, authorities said Thursday.
    Louis Casiano, Fox News, 20 Mar. 2025
  • And even roofs that are still relatively young may begin to show signs of weakness — the sealant that holds asphalt shingles in place often begins to degrade after a decade and can fail when pummeled with high winds.
    Ron Lieber, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • If a recession follows, job losses and lower incomes could further depress spending and payment volumes.
    Trefis Team, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • The problem: Fluidity depresses the price-to-earnings multiple that investors are willing to pay for stocks.
    Jim Cramer, CNBC, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Iran’s provision of drones and medium-range ballistic missiles in return for Russian intelligence and fighter aircraft allowed Russia to hammer Ukraine’s military and civilian infrastructure without depleting its stocks of other weapons and weakening its defenses against NATO.
    Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 18 Mar. 2025
  • One such overflow happened during massive rains in early July 2023, a month into the study, and caused fish to swim to other areas where sewage had not depleted oxygen levels.
    Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Trent Perry sank a half-court shot and commenced a victory dance.
    Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Kurland and his cohorts sunk tens of millions into Altieri’s scheme.
    John Annese, New York Daily News, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Projections of soaring power demand in the U.S. have led utility executives to turn to whatever power source is available—including wind and solar—even as the Trump Administration tries to diminish renewables.
    Justin Worland/Houston, TIME, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • If my hometown remains in Russian hands, along with other Ukrainian territories currently under Kremlin control, the erasure of our culture will continue, and with each passing year, Ukrainian identity will attenuate and vanish.
    Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2025
  • Storm suggests hopefully that a planetary crisis, such as climate change, might attenuate nationalism.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Reduce.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/reduce. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

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