English

Verb

downsize ‎(third-person singular simple present downsizes, present participle downsizing, simple past and past participle downsized)

1. (intransitive) To reduce in size or number.

   Joe and Edna moved to a bungalow after deciding to downsize when the children had left home.

   The company chose to downsize by laying off half of its workers.

2. (transitive) To reduce the workforce of.

   They downsized the division by offering attractive early-retirement packages and selling off an office building.

3. (transitive, euphemistic) To terminate the employment of.

   Joe got downsized and became a plumber.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:lay off

Related terms

• upsize
• rightsize

Translations