reduce (redirected from be reduced)

in reduced circumstances

Euph. in poverty. After Frederick lost his position, we lived in reduced circumstances while waiting for my inheritance.

See also: circumstance

reduce (something) from (something to something)

to diminish something from one degree to a lower degree. I will reduce the fine from two hundred dollars to one hundred dollars. Mary reduced her demands from a large sum to a smaller one.

reduce someone to silence

to cause someone to be silent. The rebuke reduced him to silence—at last. Mary was reduced to silence by Jane's comments.

See also: silence

reduce someone to tears

to cause a person to cry through insults, frustration, and belittling. He scolded her so much that she was reduced to tears by the end of the meeting.

See also: tear

reduce something by something

to diminish something by a certain amount. I have to reduce your allowance by two dollars per week until you pay me back for the broken window. I will reduce the bill by a few dollars.

reduced to doing something

brought into a certain humble condition or state. The poor man was reduced to begging for food.

See also: doing

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in reduced circumstances  (slightly formal)

if someone, especially someone from a high social class, is in reduced circumstances, they have a lot less money than they did before They found him living in reduced circumstances in a flat off Fulham Road.

See also: circumstance

reduce somebody to tears

to make someone cry His classmates jeered, reducing him to tears.

See also: tear

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reduce somebody to something

to force someone into a worse condition than usual He had to sell his home to pay his legal fees and was reduced to parking cars for money. Sheila's cries reduced him to silence.