From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishreducere‧duce /rɪˈdjuːs $ rɪˈduːs/ ●●● S1 W1 verb 1 [transitive]REDUCE to make something smaller or less in size, amount, or price SYN cut, → reduction The governor announced a new plan to reduce crime. The helmet law should reduce injuries in motorcycle accidents. Small businesses will need to reduce costs in order to survive.reduce something by something The workforce has been reduced by half.reduce something (from something) to something All the shirts were reduced to £10. The new bridge should reduce travelling time from 50 minutes to 15 minutes.2 [intransitive, transitive]DFC if you reduce a liquid, or if it reduces, you boil it so that there is less of it3 [intransitive] especially American EnglishDCDFN to become thinner by losing weight → diet4 → be in reduced circumstancesCOLLOCATIONSadverbsgreatly/substantially/considerably reduceHe has greatly reduced the political power of the armed forces.significantly reduceTheir symptoms were significantly reduced.dramatically/drastically reduceThey are committed to drastically reducing the size and cost of government.sharply reduceMedical progress has sharply reduced death rates.gradually reduceThe aim is to gradually reduce the number of troops in the area. THESAURUSto reduce prices, numbers, or amountsreduce to make the price, amount, or size of something less or smallerThe price was reduced by 50%.We need to reduce the amount of salt in our diet.cut to reduce something, especially by a large amount – used about prices, costs, jobs, or the time needed to do somethingCompanies are always looking for ways to cut costs.The journey time will be cut to under 2 hours.Staff numbers have been cut by half to about 150. lower to reduce the level, limit, or amount of something. Lower sounds rather formalThe voting age was lowered to 18.The government decided to lower interest rates by 0.5%.After twenty minutes, lower the temperature to 150 degrees.bring something down to reduce something such as prices or costs, or reduce the level of something. Bring something down is less formal than lowerThe government wants to bring down the level of inflation.The company is trying to bring its costs down.slash informal to reduce an amount or price by a very large amount – used especially in newspapers and advertisementsPublic spending has been slashed over the past two years.Prices slashed for one week only!cut something back to reduce the amount of something – used especially about people deciding to spend less, do less, or use less of somethingThe education budget has been cut back again.I need to cut back on my workload.downsize to reduce the number of people employed in order to reduce costs – used about a company or organizationThe company is planning to downsize its European operations.scale something down/back to reduce the size or the amount of money that is being spent on somethingThe research programme has been scaled down.The navy is being scaled down.relieve/ease to make pain or feelings less unpleasantThe drug is used to relieve pain.A joke can help to ease the tension.alleviate formal to reduce pain or suffering, or make a problem less seriousYou can buy various medicines to alleviate the symptoms of flu.The new road was supposed to alleviate the congestion problem. → reduce somebody/something to something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
reduce• Their income has been drastically reduced.• Benefits will be reduced by $50 for each child who fails to attend school.• Place over medium-high heat and reduce by half, skimming off any fat that accumulates on surface.• We are reducing costs and investing for more effective operations.• Sluggish economic growth means interest rates will stay low amid tepid demand for loans and a reduced risk of accelerating inflation.• Add vinegar and stock to pan juices and reduce slightly on stove top.• Miriam finds that yoga and meditation help her in reducing stress.• This reduces the advantage to the raider, and so too the likelihood of a takeover.• Doctors are urging people to reduce the amount of salt in their diet.• Supermarkets can help promote healthy eating habits by reducing the amount of sugar and fat in their products.• However, the objective must be to reduce the intake of all pesticides to the absolute minimum.• They gave him drugs to reduce the pain.• I was hoping they would reduce the price a little.• Prompt action can often reduce the severity of shock in road accident victims.• The foot is reduced to a protrusion that they use to pull themselves down into the sand.• The new road will reduce traffic through the town by 30%.• You can greatly reduce your heating bills by using low-energy heaters.• Stopping smoking can significantly reduce your risk of suffering a heart attack.reduce something by something• To meet the budget, the city must reduce its spending by 15%.From Longman Business Dictionaryreducere‧duce /rɪˈdjuːsrɪˈduːs/ verb [transitive] to make something less or smaller in price, amount, or sizeJobs have been cut in order to reduce costs.Prices have been reduced by 20%.reduce something (from something) to somethingThe flight had been reduced to £99. —reduced adjectiveSales have been hit by reduced demand.→ See Verb tableOrigin reduce (1300-1400) Latin reducere “to lead back”, from ducere “to lead” 