- reduce to tears
- reduce (someone) to tears
to make someone cry.
His classmates jeered, reducing him to tears.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
reduce to tears
Look at other dictionaries:
reduce to tears — If your behaviour or attitude makes someone cry, you reduce them to tears. The teacher criticized her presentation so harshly that she was reduced to tears … English Idioms & idiomatic expressions
reduce to tears — bring to tears, make cry … English contemporary dictionary
reduce to tears — ask hurtful questions until someone cries The lawyer s hurtful questions soon reduced Karla to tears … English idioms
reduce someone to tears — reduce (someone) to tears to make someone cry. His classmates jeered, reducing him to tears … New idioms dictionary
reduce — re|duce W1S1 [rıˈdju:s US rıˈdu:s] v [Date: 1300 1400; : Latin; Origin: reducere to lead back , from ducere to lead ] 1.) [T] to make something smaller or less in size, amount, or price = ↑cut →↑reduction ▪ The governor announced a new plan to… … Dictionary of contemporary English
reduce — [[t]rɪdju͟ːs, AM du͟ːs[/t]] ♦♦ reduces, reducing, reduced 1) VERB If you reduce something, you make it smaller in size or amount, or less in degree. [V n] It reduces the risks of heart disease... [V n] Consumption is being reduced by 25 per cent … English dictionary
reduce — re|duce [ rı dus ] verb transitive *** 1. ) to make something smaller or less in size, amount, importance, etc: CUT DOWN: Try to reduce the amount of fat in your diet. reduce something by something: The workforce will be reduced by around 30… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
reduce — verb (reduced; reducing) Etymology: Middle English, to lead back, from Latin reducere, from re + ducere to lead more at tow Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. a. to draw together or cause to converge ; consolidate < re … New Collegiate Dictionary
reduce — verb 1 (T) to make something smaller or less in size, amount, or price: We were hoping that they would reduce the rent a little. | reduce sth by half/ten percent etc: The workforce has been reduced by half. (+ to): All the shirts were reduced to… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
reduce to — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms reduce to : present tense I/you/we/they reduce to he/she/it reduces to present participle reducing to past tense reduced to past participle reduced to 1) reduce something to something to make something change… … English dictionary
