What does pare mean?
Pare means to remove an unwanted or unnecessary part from something, usually by cutting or trimming. It can refer literally to removing the skin, rind, or outer portion of a material, as in paring an apple. More often, it is used figuratively for reducing an expense, workload, ambition, or proposal: a company may pare down costs, while an editor pares a manuscript to its essential elements. The word suggests careful, incremental reduction rather than abandoning a goal altogether. It is common in British and American English, with the usual difference in the pronunciation of the diphthong. Although “pare” can sound similar to “pear” and “pair,” its meaning concerns trimming, limiting, or reducing something.
verbTo trim or cut away an unwanted or excess part. By extension, to reduce something, especially a cost, quantity, or level.
- To trim or cut away an unwanted or excess outer part.
- To reduce a quantity, expense, or scope, especially by making successive cuts.
"The company pared its spending to protect its profit margin."
"She pared the edges of the potatoes before roasting them."
"The committee pared down the proposal until it could be approved."
Pare shares its root with prepare and repair: all begin with the idea of getting something into shape.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does pare come from?
Pare comes through Old French parer, meaning “to prepare” or “to arrange,” from Latin parare, “to prepare, arrange, or set in order.” The modern sense of trimming or reducing developed from the idea of removing or preparing away material. The same Latin root also lies behind English words such as prepare, repair, and parry, although their meanings developed along separate paths.
Related word forms
How pare is actually used
The verb is commonly transitive: it takes the thing being trimmed or reduced as its object. “Pare down” and “pare back” are especially common in formal and business contexts.
Easily confused with pare
“Pare” is a verb meaning to trim or reduce, whereas “pear” is a fruit.
“Pare” means to trim or reduce; a “pair” is a set of two related things.