Definition of "reduce" in Anglais

verb

(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.
(intransitive) To lose weight.
(transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
- to reduce a sergeant to the ranks
(transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
- to reduce a province or a fort
(transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition.
- to reduce a city to ashes
(transitive) To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy).
- reduced to silence
(transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off.
(transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
- Formaldehyde can be reduced to form methanol.
(transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
(transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
(transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
(transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
(transitive, law) 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.
(transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
(transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square).
(transitive, military) To strike off the payroll.
(transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means.
(transitive, phonetics, phonology) To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort.
- The first vowel of support is reduced to schwa by most English speakers.
(transitive, obsolete) To translate (a book, document, etc.).
- a book reduced into English