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Glite Dictionary
✂️ To reduce slowly 🍏 To peel or trim
to pare

to pare

3 4.8
To cut away the thin outer layer or the edges of things like fruit and wood
  • verb
  • /pɛr/
translation icon : pelar
  • Cut off thorny tips and pare away fibrous green layers from the bottoms.

Examples

  • Bernice is in the kitchen, paring apples for pie, when Melanie comes home.

  • My mother was paring potatoes at the sink.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Her sharp fingernail pares off a minute edge of paint.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • I finished paring the last carrot and went to put the peelings into the garbage can.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Locked in a damp room, insects shuffle in corners as she pares potatoes.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Use the correct knife for the correct purpose; don't use a fillet knife to pare carrots or potatoes.

    Blog text (4)

  • In the kitchen, Aunt Sarah stands at a cutting board, paring radishes into roses with a small knife.

Synonyms

to peel
vsto pare
126 1.0

Remove the outer skin from a fruit or vegetable before eating

is broader, also cuts edges or trims to make smaller or neater
to trim
vsto pare
95 2.6

Cut something to make it smaller or neater

specifically targets outer layers or edges rather than any general reduction
to shave
vsto pare
25 1.9

Cut very thin slices from things like cheese or wood

aims at outer layer or edge removal rather than only removing thin layers
to whittle
vsto pare
13 6.2

To cut small pieces from wood with a knife

focuses on removing outer edges and neat trimming rather than carving details
to skin
vsto pare
10 2.7

To remove the outer layer from a fruit, vegetable, or animal

covers outer layer removal but also includes trimming edges or reducing size
to unpeel
vsto pare
1 3.4

To remove the outer covering from things like fruit or labels

focuses more on cutting edges and trimming to make items smaller or neater
to skive
vsto pare
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To cut off a thin layer from leather or rubber to make it thinner

applies broadly to outer layer or edge cutting, not only material thinning
to par
vsto pare
9.9

To remove the outer skin from fruit or vegetables

adds that action but also trims edges and reduces size for neatness
to rind
vsto pare
8.1

To remove the outer skin from fruit or cheese

is the more general action that also trims edges and shapes items

Antonyms

to add
∞ 1.0

Include something extra to make something larger or better

to enlarge
70 3.0

To make something bigger in size or amount

Phrasal Verbs

to pare down
9 4.4

Make something smaller by removing parts you do not need

How Much

to flay
  • NSFW
15 9.3
to skin
10 2.7
to peel
126 1.0
to pare
3 4.8
trim
33 2.5

Surface Forms

pare infinitive
pared past
pared past participle
paring present participle
pares third person singular

Etymology

Pare comes from the old Latin word parare, which means 'to prepare' and is also in the word prepare, so you can think of making something neat and ready by cutting away its outside. So, to pare is to remove the outer layer or edges to make something smaller or neater.