reduce (one) to tears

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reduce (one) to tears

To cause one to cry. I know it's embarrassing, but sappy movies like that always reduce me to tears.

See also: reduce, tear

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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: reduce, tear

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.