Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
⬇️ To make smaller 🏚️ To weaken 🧩 To simplify 🍲 To thicken (cooking) ⚖️ To lose weight 🧪 To add electrons 🔉 To weaken sound
to reduce

to reduce

6 6.6
In chemistry, to add hydrogen or remove oxygen from a substance
  • verb
  • /rɪˈdjuːs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : reducir
  • Calcium carbonate reduced LT4 absorption and increased serum TSH levels.
  • reducing agent
  • reduce molecular oxygen
  • reduced sulfur compound

Examples

  • In the experiment, scientists reduce the compound's oxygen level to observe its reaction.

  • Four were installed on one large flue gas system that uses a catalyst to reduce NOx.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Reduce fluoroantimonic acid by five percent.

    The Son of Bigfoot (2017)

  • Here at the cathode, oxygen is reduced and gains electrons.

    Academic text (2010)

  • The fundamental problem is that reducing NOx formation requires a chemical reaction that reduces available oxygen.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Based on the CHADS2/CHA2DS2VASc score, patients with AF may need antiplatelet or anticoagulation therapy to reduce their stroke risk.

    Academic text (2012)

  • To produce hydrogen gas, you need to reduce water by adding a catalyst.

  • To create a more stable product, they decided to reduce the oxygen content in the mixture.

Synonyms

to deoxidize
vsto reduce
  • Specialized
8.7

To remove oxygen from a substance, often using chemicals

is a broader chemical change that also adds hydrogen or gains electrons

Antonyms

to oxidize
  • Specialized
9 6.1

To join with oxygen, often causing metal to rust or fruit to brown

Phrasal Verbs

to reduce swelling
1 3.4

Make a swollen area of the body smaller

Surface Forms

reduce infinitive
reduced past
reduced past participle
reducing present participle
reduces third person singular

Morphology

reduce = re + duce

Although the word historically contains re- and the bound root -duce, the chemistry sense is a specialized technical meaning that cannot be inferred by a B1 learner from those parts.

Etymology

Reduce comes from the Latin parts re- 'back' and ducere 'to lead', and long ago it meant 'bring back' to a simpler form. A helpful way to remember the chemistry meaning is to think of 'bringing back' a compound (for example, removing oxygen) to an earlier, simpler form.