Explanation at your level:
If you have a big glass of water, you can drink some. Now you have less water. You reduced the water in the glass. It means to make something smaller. You can reduce speed when driving. You can reduce the price of a toy. It is a very useful word for talking about amounts.
To reduce means to make something less. If you want to be healthy, you might reduce the amount of sugar you eat. If a store has a sale, they reduce the prices of their clothes. It is a common word used in shops, at school, and at home. Remember, you always reduce something specific.
At this level, you will use reduce to discuss trends and changes. We often talk about reducing waste or reducing the time spent on tasks. It is a more precise alternative to 'make smaller.' In business, you might hear about reducing costs or reducing staff. It is a staple of professional communication.
Reduce is frequently used in formal contexts to describe the mitigation of negative factors. We reduce risk, reduce uncertainty, and reduce the impact of climate change. Unlike 'cut,' which can sound aggressive, 'reduce' sounds calculated and strategic. It is essential for writing reports or giving presentations where you need to sound objective and analytical.
In advanced English, reduce takes on nuances related to complexity and abstraction. We speak of reducing a complex argument to its core components or reducing a person to a mere statistic. This usage highlights the power of the word to 'simplify' or 'strip away' layers. It is often paired with adverbs like significantly, drastically, or gradually to describe the scale of the change.
At the mastery level, reduce connects to its etymological roots of 'leading back' or 'bringing to a state.' In chemistry, a 'reduction' is the gain of electrons, a fascinating scientific application of the term. In literature, you might see it used to describe the psychological breakdown of a character, where they are reduced to their most primal instincts. Understanding the word at this level means recognizing its ability to define both physical diminution and the philosophical stripping away of complexity.
30秒でわかる単語
- Means to make something smaller.
- Used in many contexts like business and health.
- Has a formal noun form: reduction.
- Avoid the redundant phrase 'reduce down'.
When you reduce something, you are essentially making it smaller, fewer, or less intense. Imagine you have a big pile of laundry; if you fold it and put it away, you have reduced the clutter in your room. It is a very versatile word used in everything from cooking to finance.
You will hear this word often when people talk about efficiency or saving. Whether you are trying to reduce your screen time or a company is trying to reduce its carbon footprint, the core idea is always about taking something large and bringing it down to a more manageable size.
The word reduce comes to us from the Latin word reducere, which literally means 'to lead back.' It is a combination of re- (back) and ducere (to lead). Originally, it meant to bring someone or something back to a former state or place.
Over centuries, the meaning shifted from 'leading back' to 'bringing down.' By the time it entered Middle English via Old French, it had adopted the sense of 'diminishing' or 'lowering.' It is a classic example of how a word's physical movement meaning (leading back) evolved into a more abstract mathematical or conceptual meaning (lowering a quantity).
In daily life, reduce is a neutral, professional term. You might say 'I need to reduce my expenses' at a bank, or 'Please reduce the heat' while cooking. It is slightly more formal than 'cut' or 'lower,' making it perfect for workplace or academic settings.
Common collocations include reduce risk, reduce costs, and reduce the impact. Notice how it often pairs with abstract nouns. While you can 'cut' a piece of cake, you usually 'reduce' a risk or a budget, highlighting its role in professional and analytical communication.
While 'reduce' itself is a standard verb, it appears in many common phrases. Reduced to tears means to become so sad that you start crying. Reduced to nothing describes something that has been completely destroyed or lost. Reduce to a minimum means to make something as small as possible. Reduce to practice is a legal term meaning to put an idea into actual use. Finally, reduce to silence means to make someone stop talking, usually through shock or intimidation.
The word reduce is a regular verb. Its past tense is reduced, and its present participle is reducing. It is pronounced /rɪˈdjuːs/ in British English and /rɪˈduːs/ in American English. The stress is always on the second syllable.
It is a transitive verb, meaning it almost always needs an object. You don't just 'reduce'; you 'reduce something.' It rhymes with words like produce, induce, seduce, deduce, and produce. Remember that the 'c' sound is soft, like an 's,' because it is followed by an 'e.'
Fun Fact
It shares a root with 'educate' (to lead out)!
Pronunciation Guide
Clear 'y' sound in the middle.
Smoother 'u' sound.
Common Errors
- Misplacing the stress on the first syllable
- Pronouncing the 'c' as a 'k'
- Dropping the 's' sound at the end
Rhymes With
Difficulty Rating
Easy to read
Easy to use
Easy to say
Easy to hear
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
上級
Grammar to Know
Transitive Verbs
I reduced the cake.
Passive Voice
The cost was reduced.
Imperative Mood
Reduce the heat!
Examples by Level
Please reduce the volume.
lower the sound
imperative
I want to reduce my stress.
have less stress
verb + object
They reduced the price.
made it cheaper
past tense
Reduce the heat now.
turn the stove down
imperative
We must reduce waste.
throw away less
modal verb
She reduced her hours.
worked less time
verb + object
Can you reduce this?
make this smaller
question
Reduce your speed here.
drive slower
imperative
The doctor told me to reduce my salt intake.
The company is trying to reduce costs.
Can we reduce the number of meetings?
I reduced the size of the image.
The rain reduced the crowd at the park.
We need to reduce our energy use.
The medicine reduced his pain.
They reduced the tax rate.
The new policy will reduce traffic congestion.
He tried to reduce his carbon footprint.
The chef reduced the sauce until it was thick.
We need to reduce the risk of accidents.
The government reduced interest rates.
She reduced the complex problem to a simple question.
They are working to reduce poverty.
The noise was reduced by the new windows.
The manager sought to reduce the burden on his team.
We must reduce the likelihood of a system failure.
The medication significantly reduced her symptoms.
They managed to reduce the project timeline by two weeks.
The company aims to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.
His speech was reduced to a few key points.
We need to reduce the friction in the hiring process.
The new law will reduce the number of lawsuits.
The argument was reduced to a simple binary choice.
He was reduced to begging for help.
The artist reduced the landscape to basic geometric shapes.
The crisis reduced the city to a state of chaos.
We must reduce the variables in our experiment.
The report reduces the issue to a matter of funding.
She was reduced to tears by the news.
The architect reduced the design to its essential elements.
The alchemist attempted to reduce base metals to gold.
The philosopher reduced existence to the act of thinking.
The tragedy reduced the proud king to a broken man.
He reduced the entire debate to a single question of ethics.
The process reduces the ore to pure metal.
The passage was reduced to a mere paragraph.
The complexity of the system was reduced to a simple interface.
The war reduced the once-great civilization to ruins.
よく使う組み合わせ
Idioms & Expressions
"reduced to tears"
made to cry
She was reduced to tears by the kind gesture.
neutral"reduced to nothing"
completely destroyed
The fire reduced the house to nothing.
neutral"reduce to a minimum"
make as small as possible
We reduced to a minimum the time spent waiting.
formal"reduce to practice"
put into action
It is hard to reduce this theory to practice.
formal"reduce to silence"
make quiet
His anger reduced the room to silence.
neutral"reduced circumstances"
poor financial state
They are living in reduced circumstances now.
formalEasily Confused
similar meaning
decrease is often used for numbers
The temperature decreased.
similar meaning
lessen is for abstract intensity
Lessen the tension.
similar meaning
cut is more physical
Cut the rope.
similar meaning
shrink is for material size
The shirt shrank.
Sentence Patterns
Subject + reduce + object
I reduced the price.
Subject + reduce + object + by + amount
We reduced the debt by 10%.
Subject + reduce + object + to + state
The fire reduced it to ash.
Subject + be + reduced + to + verbing
He was reduced to begging.
Subject + reduce + the risk of + noun
This reduces the risk of error.
語族
Nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
関連
How to Use It
8/10
Formality Scale
よくある間違い
Reduce already implies 'down,' so 'reduce down' is redundant.
Again, redundant usage.
Usually, 'nothing' is preferred over the clunky 'nothingness'.
Reduce is better than 'make less' or 'reduce more'.
Avoid unnecessary articles.
Tips
Memory Palace Trick
Imagine a giant 'R' shrinking.
When Native Speakers Use It
Professional settings.
Cultural Insight
The 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Grammar Shortcut
Follow with an object.
Say It Right
Focus on the 's' sound.
Don't Make This Mistake
Avoid 'reduce down'.
Did You Know?
It comes from Latin 'ducere'.
Study Smart
Use it in a sentence about your budget.
Contextual usage
Always use with a specific target.
Listen closely
Hear the difference in UK vs US 'u'.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
RE-DUCE: Re-do the size, make it smaller.
Visual Association
A balloon losing air.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Try to reduce your phone usage by 10 minutes today.
語源
Latin
Original meaning: To lead back
文化的な背景
None
Used heavily in corporate and environmental contexts.
Practice in Real Life
Real-World Contexts
Business
- reduce costs
- reduce overhead
- reduce staff
Cooking
- reduce the sauce
- reduce the heat
- reduce the liquid
Health
- reduce stress
- reduce intake
- reduce pain
Environment
- reduce waste
- reduce emissions
- reduce consumption
Conversation Starters
"How do you reduce stress after work?"
"Do you think we can reduce our plastic use?"
"What is the best way to reduce travel costs?"
"Have you ever had to reduce your schedule?"
"Why is it important to reduce waste?"
Journal Prompts
Write about a time you reduced your workload.
How can you reduce your environmental impact?
Describe a situation where you felt reduced to silence.
What is one thing you want to reduce in your life?
よくある質問
8 問Yes, they are mostly interchangeable.
No, it is redundant.
Reduction.
It is neutral and professional.
rɪ-DYOOSE (UK) or rɪ-DOOS (US).
Sometimes, in a negative sense (e.g., reduced to tears).
Increase.
Yes.
自分をテスト
We need to ___ the noise.
Reduce means to make smaller.
Which means to make smaller?
Reduce is the correct synonym.
Is 'reduce down' correct English?
It is redundant.
Word
意味
Opposites.
Correct SVO structure.
The medicine ___ his pain.
Reduced is the logical choice.
What does 'reduced to tears' mean?
Idiomatic usage.
Can 'reduce' be used in chemistry?
Yes, it refers to electron gain.
Passive voice structure.
Word
意味
Synonym matching.
スコア： /10
Summary
Reduce is the perfect word to use when you need to talk about making something smaller, whether it is a physical object, a budget, or a feeling.
- Means to make something smaller.
- Used in many contexts like business and health.
- Has a formal noun form: reduction.
- Avoid the redundant phrase 'reduce down'.
Memory Palace Trick
Imagine a giant 'R' shrinking.
When Native Speakers Use It
Professional settings.
Cultural Insight
The 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Grammar Shortcut
Follow with an object.
例文
I want to reduce the amount of salt in my diet.
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