to pare down
9
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /pɛr daʊn/
:
reducir
- We'll pare it down to three applicants after we watch the tapes.
- pare down the number
And then when all that gets pared down, you realize it's like, oh, no, it's me.
- And then when all that gets pared down, you realize it's like, oh, no, it's me.
- If I just pare down to whatever is essential, then that will equal perpetual bliss.
- He wanted to pare it down and strip it down to something that was really about clothes, really wearable, none of this extra doodads and add-ons.
Examples
-
The modern artist just pares it down to the basic elements of shape and color.
-
You'll have to pare your schedules down to the absolute essentials.
-
But for you today, we kind of pared it down to a few.
-
So we're seeing where we can pare down.
-
Their lives have been pared down to the most basic level.
Blog text (7) -
The original 100-item survey was pared down to 40 questions.
Academic text (2003) -
The video deposition of Jacob Wood had been pared down to 2 hours and 31 minutes.
Fiction book (1996) -
We went through 700 hours of archival footage to pare it down to two hours.
Blog text (27) -
If I just pare down to whatever is essential, then that will equal perpetual bliss.
-
We need to pare down the list of candidates to only the most qualified individuals.
Synonyms
∞
1.6
To make something smaller in amount, size, or number
201
3.7
To become less in size, importance, or value
181
2.8
Become less in amount or value
169
2.9
To reduce how much you buy and use to save money and be healthier
117
3.7
Make something as small as possible to reduce its effect
65
2.7
To make something smaller in amount or number
45
2.3
Make something shorter, for example an article, skirt, or route
34
2.8
To make something smaller in amount or strength
21
4.2
Make something shorter by removing unimportant details
17
5.7
To make something smaller by removing small parts
10
5.1
To make a list or group smaller by removing items over time
9
3.6
To make something shorter while keeping the important parts
8
4.0
To make something smaller in size or amount
3
3.4
To make something smaller by cutting or removing parts
3
5.9
To make something smaller gradually by cutting or wearing it away
2
4.2
To remove things you do not need to make something smaller or work better
1
4.3
Make something smaller or cheaper to save money
1
3.4
Make a thing smaller by cutting or removing parts
1
7.5
Make something shorter in time or length while keeping its main parts
1
8.4
To make something smaller so it uses less space or time
To make data smaller for storing or sending by removing extra parts
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'pare' already means to reduce gradually, and the particle 'down' adds a sense of making smaller or lowering; together they directly express reducing something to a smaller or essential amount. This verb + down composition is a common, predictable pattern in English (and paralleled in other languages), so a learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Pare down comes from the idea of pare, which means to cut away thin pieces from the outside of something, like peeling an apple, so you are left with only the good part. That's why pare down means 'to reduce something to only what is necessary'.