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# reduce

«reduce» in Mova's school dictionary: **to make it smaller in size, amount, number or strength** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (reduce, reduces, reduced, reducing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To reduce something is to make it smaller in size, amount, number or strength. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#m1)

2) To reduce a price is to make it cheaper. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#m2)

3) In cooking, to reduce a sauce is to boil it so it becomes thicker and smaller in amount. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#m3)

4) To be reduced to something is to be brought to a worse state, such as being reduced to tears. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#m4)

5) To reduce something can mean to write it down in a simpler, standard form. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In maths, «reduce by 5» means subtract 5; «reduce by half» means divide by 2; «reduced by 20%» means take away a fifth; to reduce a fraction means to simplify it (6/8 = 3/4). In science and everyday life, «reduce, reuse, recycle» means using less, so there is less waste; we reduce energy use by switching off lights. Phrases: «reduce by», «reduce to», «reduced price», «reduce waste», «reduce speed».

### examples

- Reduce 20 by 5 and you get 15. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x1)
- The shop reduced the price of the shoes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x2)
- We can reduce waste by using a lunchbox. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x3)
- Reduce speed near schools. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x4)
- Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x5)
- Reduce the fraction 4/8 to 1/2. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x6)
- Cook the sauce until it reduces. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x7)
- The sad film reduced me to tears. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x8)
- I have reduced the Suffolk dialect. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/#x9)

### note

Regular verb: reduced. Noun: reduction. «Reduce by» tells you how much is taken away; «reduce to» tells you the new amount: «reduce 50 by 10» → 40; «reduce 50 to 10» → 10. In maths problems «reduced» means the number gets smaller.

### In the corpora

- [The black mask round a raccoon's eyes may reduce glare and help it see at night, though scientists are not completely sure.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/224-raccoons-opossums-and-skunks/7/)
- ["Culled" means animals were killed to reduce their numbers.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/18-pets-and-money/10/)
- ["In reduced circumstances" (old-fashioned UK) means poorer than before.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/19-money-and-poverty/6/)
- [A cold pack helps reduce the pain and swelling of a sting.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/24-bees-and-wasps/13/)
- [Put a cold pack wrapped in a cloth on a bruise for a few minutes, because cold reduces swelling and pain.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/84-bruises-bumps-nosebleeds-and-burns/4/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «reduce» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reduce/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.