reduce in WordNet English dictionary

1. reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
   "The manuscript must be shortened"
   abridge  foreshorten  abbreviate  shorten  cut  contract  reduce 
   
2. cook until very little liquid is left
   "The cook reduced the sauce by boiling it for a long time"
   reduce  boil down  concentrate 
   
3. be cooked until very little liquid is left
   "The sauce should reduce to one cup"
   boil down  reduce  decoct  concentrate 
   
4. be the essential element
   "The proposal boils down to a compromise"
   reduce  come down  boil down 
   
5. cut down on; make a reduction in
   "reduce your daily fat intake"; "The employer wants to cut back health benefits"
   reduce  cut down  cut back  trim  trim down  trim back  cut  bring down 
   
6. lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
   "cut bourbon"
   dilute  thin  thin out  reduce  cut 
   
7. to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons
   deoxidize  deoxidise  reduce 
   
8. put down by force or intimidation
   "The government quashes any attempt of an uprising"; "China keeps down her dissidents very efficiently"; "The rich landowners subjugated the peasants working the land"
   repress  quash  keep down  subdue  subjugate  reduce 
   
9. take off weight
   reduce  melt off  lose weight  slim  slenderize  thin  slim down 
   
10. narrow or limit
    "reduce the influx of foreigners"
    reduce  tighten 
    
11. make smaller
    "reduce an image"
    reduce  scale down 
    
12. reduce in size; reduce physically
    "Hot water will shrink the sweater"; "Can you shrink this image?"
    shrink  reduce 
    
13. make less complex
    "reduce a problem to a single question"
    reduce 
    
14. destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it
    reduce 
    
15. undergo meiosis
    "The cells reduce"
    reduce 
    
16. reposition (a broken bone after surgery) back to its normal site
    reduce 
    
17. lower in grade or rank or force somebody into an undignified situation
    "She reduced her niece to a servant"
    reduce 
    
18. lessen and make more modest
    "reduce one's standard of living"
    reduce 
    
19. simplify the form of a mathematical equation of expression by substituting one term for another
    reduce 
    
20. bring to humbler or weaker state or condition
    "He reduced the population to slavery"
    reduce