Some words have meanings that are related or close to each other causing some people to misuse or even interchange them. The terms minimize and reduce are a good example of this situation since both of them pertain to making things smaller. This post will help you distinguish between them and enable you to use them more accurately in your sentences.
The word reduce is primarily used as a verb meaning “to diminish in size, amount, extent, or number,” “to become diminished or lessened,” or “change a substance to a different or more basic form.”
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MirrorMcHenry County won’t dismiss or reduce formerly criminal, low-level marijuana convictions
Northwest HeraldIMF, ADB, Australia and New Zealand Seek Solutions to Reduce Remittance Costs in the Pacific
International Monetary Fund
Moreover, it may also be used as a verb to mean “to bring someone or something to a lower or weaker state, condition, or role.”
‘Women Reduced To Mere Spectators For Past Two Decades’ – M J Denton
Foroyaa onlineReduced to a soulless docu-fiction
The Hindu‘Bribery Has Reduced Judges to Mere Commodities’
Liberian Daily Observer
On the other hand, the term minimize functions as a verb which means “to reduce or keep to a minimum”or “to represent or estimate at less than the true value or importance.”
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New York TimesHow to minimize the dust fallout when having wood floors refinished
Washington PostHow more Catholic schools are looking to minimize screen time
Catholic News Agency
In computing, minimize as a verb means “to replace a window on a computer display with a small button or icon which will restore the window when selected.”
macOS: Tips on Minimizing Windows into the Dock
TekRevueYou can also use Win + down arrow to switch an app from full screen to “windowed” and pressing again will minimize it.
ForbesYou can go in the opposite direction as well—swipe down with three fingers to minimize all open windows and see the desktop.
Gizmodo
Now that we’ve discussed the difference between minimize and reduce, you should be able to incorporate them into your sentences. Keep in mind that to reduce is to diminish in number while to minimize is to bring down to the smallest possible amount.
