Skip to the word

Added 7 October 2026

reduce

/ɹɪˈd͡ʒuːs/ verb

In Latin: dēdūcō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about reduce at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Cut down on; make a reduction in.
reduce your daily fat intake
Make less complex.
reduce a problem to a single question
Bring to humbler or weaker state or condition.
He reduced the population to slavery

Origin

From Middle English reducen, from Old French reduire, from Latin redūcō (“reduce”); from re- (“back”) + dūcō (“lead”). See duke, and compare with redoubt.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word