downsize

verb

down·​size ˈdau̇n-ˌsīz 

downsized; downsizing; downsizes

transitive verb

1

: to reduce in size

especially : to design or produce in smaller size

2

: to fire (employees) for the purpose of downsizing a business

intransitive verb

: to undergo a reduction in size

Synonyms of downsize

• reduce
• decrease

Examples of downsize in a Sentence

They have downsized the car's engine in the new model.

The company is planning to downsize next year.

The company will be downsized next year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Drawer organizers and downsizing your utensil stash make any system more efficient. —Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 17 Jan. 2026

Three major players — Twisted Pixel, Armature and Sanzaru Games — have been shuttered, while Supernatural is being downsized following news the Supernatural VR fitness app will no longer get significant updates. —Andrew Williams, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Dreaming about downsizing and moving to a quiet corner of the woods is especially tempting amidst the daily rush. —Brittany Vanderbill, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Jan. 2026

Viviana Obenland, human resource supervisor for Agile Cold Storage, said several people looking for jobs told her their previous company had downsized and had large layoffs. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for downsize

• advise
• applies
• apprise
• arise
• assize
• baptize
• belies
• bitwise
• capsize
• chastise
• chordwise
• clockwise

Kids Definition

downsize

verb

down·​size ˈdau̇n-ˌsīz 

: to reduce in size

the company downsized its staff to cut costs