reduce

verb reduces · reducing · reduced

1. transitive To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower. to reduce weight, speed, heat, expenses, price, personnel etc.
2. intransitive To lose weight.
3. transitive To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote. to reduce a sergeant to the ranks
4. transitive To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture. to reduce a province or a fort
5. transitive To bring to an inferior state or condition. to reduce a city to ashes
6. transitive To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy). reduced to silence
7. transitive To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off. Serve the oxtails with mustard or a sauce made by reducing the soup, if any is left, to a slightly thick sauce.
8. transitive To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen. Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol.
9. transitive To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
10. transitive To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
11. transitive To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
12. transitive To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
13. transitive To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as “reduce to writing”.) It is important that all business contracts be reduced to writing.
14. transitive To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
15. transitive To reform a line or column from (a square).
16. transitive To strike off the payroll.
17. transitive To annul by legal means.
18. transitive To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort. The first vowel of support is reduced to schwa by most English speakers.
19. obsolete, transitive To translate (a book, document, etc.). a book reduced into English