1. vt.缩减，减少；降低　 make less in size, amount, price, degree, etc.
2. vi.减轻体重，节食　 lose weight intentionly; diet
3. vt.降职　 make sb lower in rank or status; demote sb
4. vt.使…陷入某种状态或状况中　 bring sb/sth into a specified state or condition
5. vt.将…概括或简化　 change sth to a more general or basic form
6. vt.将…还原　 remove oxygen from or add hydrogen or electrons to (a compound)

　～ a person to reason　使人服理
　～ the city to a shambles　使城市变成瓦砾
　～ the loss of blood to a minimum　把失血减少到最低量
　～ the passage to half the number of words　把这段字数减少到一半
　～ the size　缩小体积
　～ easily　容易征服
　～ gradually　逐步缩小
　～ greatly　大大减少
　～ markedly　明显地减少
　～ materially　大为减少
　～ necessarily　必要地减少
　～ sharply　锐减
　～ sth from...to　把某物从…降至…
　～ in　在…方面减少，在…方面降低
　～ in price　削价
　～ oneself into　陷入
　～ to　使变成…，使陷入
　～ to despair　陷入绝望
　～ to slavery　沦为奴隶

　I'm reducing.　我正在节食。
　She has been reducing for the last few weeks.　最近几个星期她一直在节食。
　No sugar, thank you —I'm trying to reduce.　对不起，我不吃糖，我在减肥。
　They are trying a new diet in order to reduce.　他们为了减肥，正试用一种新食谱。
　I must reduce to get into that fine dress.　要想穿上那件好衣服，我就得减肥。
　Some fat people try to reduce their weight.　有些肥胖人设法减肥。
　We shall have to reduce the price if we want this buyer to take the house off our hands.　若我们想要让买主从我们的手里买下这房子，就必须降低售价。
　The new working method further reduced production costs.　新的操作方法进一步降低了生产成本。
　What the factory should do now is to try to reduce the production cost.　该厂现在应做的就是设法降低生产成本。
　The government has taken measures to reduce public expenditure.　政府已经采取措施来削减公共开支。
　He decided to reduce family expenses.　他决定减缩家庭开支。
　The driver reduced the driving speed.　司机减低了车速。
　Lubrication reduces noise and wear.　润滑作用能减少噪音和磨损。
　They used a stolen car to reduce the risk of detection.　他们使用了一辆偷来的汽车以减少被发现的风险。
　The army reduced the fort by a sudden attack.　这支军队突然袭击攻下了那个堡垒。
　A doctor can reduce a fracture or dislocation.　医生能使骨折或脱臼复位。
　The rising sun quickly reduced the fog.　升起的太阳很快驱散了晨雾。
　I bought this shirt because it was reduced.　我买这件衬衫是因为它减价了。
　If the pressure is not reduced, the cylinder is likely to fracture.　如果不降低压力，汽缸就可能破裂。
　Following the cutting down of personnel, the cost of production was correspondingly reduced.　随着人员的裁减，生产成本也相应降低了。
　If the tax is reduced, that 5% will come off the price of the goods.　如果税收削减的话，那个5%将从货价中扣除。
　Hunger reduced him to steal.　饥饿使他不得不行窃。
　In those days poverty reduced many people to beg in the street.　在旧社会，贫穷使许多人不得不在街上乞讨。
　They went to the cinema at a reduced fare.　他们以优惠票价看了一场电影。
　She could not face up to the prospect of living in reduced circumstances.　她没有勇气面对每况愈下的生活前景。
　The country's present difficulties arise from the reduced value of its money.　该国目前的困难起因于其货币的贬值。
　The people must reconcile themselves to a reduced standard of living.　人们必须使自己习惯于生活水平的下降。

 ♣ reduce by　(v.+prep.)
1. 使…以（某幅度）减少 make (sth such as an amour or price) less
　She reduced her weight by five kilograms.　她把体重减轻了5公斤。
　The new canal will reduce the distance between the two cities by half.　新运河将使两个城市间的距离缩短一半。
　They have reduced the price by ten percent.　他们已降价10%。
　We are going to reduce the price of these coats by 20 per cent.　我们打算把这些上衣减价20%销售。
　The price was reduced by ten percent.　价格降低了10%。
2. 以…方法减少 make (sth such as an amount or price) less by doing sth
　Reduce the sauce by boiling it for ten minutes.　把调味汁煮沸10分钟，使之浓缩变稠。
　Some fat people try to reduce their weight by eating less.　有些胖人试图通过少吃减肥。
3. 用…方法还原 remove oxygen from or add hydrogen or electrons to (a compound) with sth
　The chemist reduced water by electrolysis.　化学家用电解法把水还原为氢。
 ♣ reduce from　(v.+prep.)
　使…低于　make (sth such as a price) less than (a former level)
　I bought this shirt because it was considerably reduced from its original price.　我买这件上衣是因为它远远低于它的原价。
 ♣ reduce in　(v.+prep.)
　使…方面降低　bring (sth/sb) down with regard to (a level, price, etc.)
　He would not reduce it in price.　他不愿降低它的价格。
　They have decided to reduce him in post.　他们已经决定降他的职。
　Most of the daily necessities have been greatly reduced in price.　大部分日用品已大降价。
　He was reduced in rank.　他被降级了。
 ♣ reduce to　(v.+prep.)
　〔说明〕 reduce to通常不用于进行体。
1. 使降低到，遭受 bring sth to a smaller number or amount; change sth to its parts; bring or get to a certain condition, especially humble, unpleasant, or dishonourable
　They reduced the expenses to 60 per cent.　他们将开支压缩到60%。
　We should reduce the unproductive expenditure to a minimum.　我们应该把非生产性开支压缩到最低限度。
　The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.　这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。
　A conflagration in 1947 reduced 90 percent of the houses to ashes. 　1947年的一场大火，使90%的房屋化为灰烬。
　Even when we reduce the salt to a fine powder, it still tastes salt.　即使把食盐捣成粉末，它还是有咸味的。
　A succession of bad harvest had reduced the small farmer to penury.　连续歉收使得这个小农场主陷入了贫困境地。
　Anxiety about the fate of his family reduced him to a nervous wreck.　对家人命运的担忧使他精神崩溃。
　His income has been reduced to half its amount.　他的收入减少了一半。
　The operation must be carefully planned so that the loss of blood would be reduced to a minimum.　这次手术要周密计划，要把失血降到最低限度。
　Your speed must be reduced to the city speed as soon as you cross the border.　你一进市区车速就得减到市区的规定速度。
　He is reduced almost to a skeleton.　他瘦得几乎变成了一个骨头架子。
　The chalk was reduced to powder.　粉笔被磨成粉末。
　The house was reduced to ashes.　那房子被烧成了灰烬。
　I bought the coat as it was reduced to only ￡30.　我买这件上衣因为它减价到只卖30英镑。
　After the Opium War of 1840, China was gradually reduced to a semicolonial and semi feudal society. 1840　年鸦片战争后，中国逐渐沦为一个半殖民地半封建的社会。
　Its people were thus reduced to slavery.　就这样它的人民都沦为奴隶了。
　In the old society he was finally reduced to begging.　在旧社会，他最后被逼得讨饭。
　During the famine, many people were reduced to eating grass and leaves.　许多人在饥荒时被迫吃青草啃树叶充饥。
　The captain was reduced to the ranks.　上尉被降为士兵。
2. 归纳，简化 consider separate things together as a unity; simplify sth made up of many parts as a single thing or idea
　I think we can reduce his rather lengthy statement to one or two essential points.　我认为可以把他冗长的演说归纳为一两个要点。
　This kind of analysis reduces the problem to its simplest form.　这种分析把这个问题概括成最简单的形式。
　We can reduce what he said to three simple facts.　我们可以把他讲的内容归纳为三件事。
　His life's work can be reduced to a search for truth.　他的毕生事业可以说就是探求真理。
　Boil all the ingredients together till they are reduced to half the quantity.　将所有配料放在一起熬，使它们浓缩成一半。
3. 折合；分解成 change; separate sth such as a mixture or combination into its parts
　To reduce pounds to pence you multiply by a hundred.　把英镑折合成便士，你只需乘上100。
　Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab.　在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。
　Water can be reduced to oxygen and hydrogen by electrolysis.　用电解法可以把水分解为氧和氢。

 ♣ reduce by, reduce to
　这两个短语都表示“减少”，前者用于表示减少的数量；后者用于表示减少的程度。
 ♣ reduce, decrease, diminish, lessen
　这组词都可表示“降低”或“减少”。其区别在于：decrease指各种事物逐渐减少、逐渐衰弱的过程；lessen指减轻强度和减缓烈度，也可指从整体上减去部分或在程度上、数量上的减少；diminish指可以看得出的“缩小”“缩减”; reduce指缩小事物的范围、强度、数量等，也可指级别、地位或经济条件的降低。例如：
　Decrease the dose of medicine when you feel better.　你感到好些就减少药剂用量。
　The number of fighters had now diminished to two, but the hilltop remained in our hands.　现在战士只剩下两个人了，但我们仍然占领着山头。
　Good lubrication will reduce friction.　良好的润滑会减少摩擦。
　The noise lessened as the plane got further away.　飞机逐渐飞远了，噪音也就减弱了。

　他们被减薪了。
　［误］ Their salaries were reduced down.
　［正］ Their salaries were reduced.
　［正］ Their salaries were cut down.
　［析］ reduce本身就表示减少，所以无需再用down这一副词。

　［同义词］ bankrupt, break, contract, cut, force, shorten, trim, weaken
　［反义词］ boost, fatten, increase, upgrade
　［词源］　中古英语reduce<拉丁语reduce（引导离开）