pare

1 of 2

verb

ˈper 

pared; paring

transitive verb

1

: to trim off an outside, excess, or irregular part of

pare apples

paring his nails

2

: to diminish or reduce by or as if by paring

pare expenses

the novel was pared down to 200 pages

parer noun

parer

2 of 2

noun

par·​er

ˈpa(a)rə(r), 

ˈper-

plural -s

: one that pares: such as

a

: a mechanical device for paring vegetables or fruits

potato parer

b

: one who pares binding leather to proper thickness for use

Synonyms of pare

Verb

• shave
• cut
• trim

Examples of pare in a Sentence

Verb

The company has to find a way to pare expenses.

pared the stray branches on the tree

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The distribution was pared down even more. —Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026

Style them for your next night out with Another Tomorrow’s slinky tank, a pair of Banana Republic trousers, and Chloé’s knotted leather belt for a look that’s pared-back yet packed with punch. —Laura Jackson, Vogue, 11 June 2026

Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama, for example, both became known for paring down everyday decisions—famously, their wardrobes—to conserve mental energy for the calls that matter. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 8 June 2026

Vasos told analysts Tuesday that many of Dollar General’s core shoppers, who have mid-to-low incomes and live in rural areas, were paring back their food spending. —Anne D’innocenzio, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English paren, borrowed from Anglo-French parer "to make, prepare, adorn, trim, cut off," going back to Latin parāre "to supply, provide, make ready," probably verbal derivative of a nominal base *paro-, formed from parere "to give birth to, bring into being, produce" — more at parturient

Note: The Latin verb is alternatively taken as a direct outcome of an Indo-European present formation *pr̥h₃-i̯e-, but the phonetic development has been questioned. Most of the numerous compound verbs formed from parāre, as apparāre "to prepare" (see apparatus), comparāre "to prepare, collect, muster," disparāre "to divide" (see disparate), praeparāre "to furnish beforehand, prepare," reparāre "to recover, restore" (see repair entry 1), sēparāre "to divide" (see separate entry 1), fail to show vowel weakening. The verbs imperāre "to levy, order, command" (see emperor) and properāre "to hasten" (perhaps of independent origin) are for uncertain reasons exceptions. The Romance development in sense from "prepare" to a more concrete "cut (the peeling from), trim"—well attested in Old French—has become virtually the only sense in English, with the broader French meaning "prepare, adorn, decorate" being only marginally attested.

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pare

• pare to the bone

Rhymes for pare

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

Kids Definition

pare

verb

ˈpa(ə)r 

ˈpe(ə)r

pared; paring

1

: to trim off the outside or the ends of

2

: to reduce as if by paring