Meaning

• 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."

• To lose weight.

• To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.

  "Hester Prynne was shocked at the condition to which she found the clergyman reduced."

• To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.

  "to reduce a province or a fort"

• To bring to an inferior state or condition.

  "to reduce a city to ashes"

• To decrease the liquid content of food by boiling much of its water off.

• To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.

• To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.

• To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.

• To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.

• To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form

• 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."

• To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.

• To reform a line or column from (a square).

• To strike off the payroll.

• To annul by legal means.

• To translate (a book, document, etc.).

  "a book reduced into English"