reduce

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less. decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

• • slowly decreased the amount of pressure

lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

• • has been unable to lessen her debt

diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

• • his visual acuity has diminished

reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

• • you must reduce your caloric intake

abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

• • the storm abated

dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

• • their provisions dwindled slowly

conquer, vanquish, defeat, subdue, reduce, overcome, overthrow mean to get the better of by force or strategy. conquer implies gaining mastery of.

• • Caesar conquered Gaul

vanquish implies a complete overpowering.

• • vanquished the enemy and ended the war

defeat does not imply the finality or completeness of vanquish which it otherwise equals.

• • the Confederates defeated the Union forces at Manassas

subdue implies a defeating and suppression.

• • subdued the native tribes after years of fighting

reduce implies a forcing to capitulate or surrender.

• • the city was reduced after a month-long siege

overcome suggests getting the better of with difficulty or after hard struggle.

• • overcame a host of bureaucratic roadblocks

overthrow stresses the bringing down or destruction of existing power.

• • violently overthrew the old regime