pare

/peə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /per/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈper/ (ame, mw)

pare — verb

  • parepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • pareshe / she / it
  • paredpast simple
  • paring-ing form

1. to slice off the skin, peel, or thin outer surface of something — often a fruit,

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to slice off the skin, peel, or thin outer surface of something — often a fruit, vegetable, or fingernail — so what remains is smooth, tidy, or the size you want.

例句

Eri pared the apple with a small kitchen knife before slicing it for the salad.

pare + [fruit] for the prototypical kitchen sense

Lucía sat by the window and pared her nails into neat, rounded shapes.

pare + [nails] collocation for trimming edges

同義詞
  • peel

    everyday word, almost always for the soft skin of fruit or vegetables

  • trim

    neutral; remove small amounts from edges, often hair, nails, or plants

  • shave

    remove very thin slices, often from wood or a hard surface

文法句型

pare + object

pare + object + off/away

pare + object + down

用法筆記

Object is typically a fruit, vegetable, nail, or thin layer of material. Often paired with 'off' or 'away' to name the removed piece, or with 'down' to mean shape something to a smaller size.

常見錯誤

❌I pared the chicken before cooking.
✅I removed the skin from the chicken before cooking.
💡'pare' is for thin outer layers of fruit, vegetables, nails, or wood, not meat or poultry.

2. to make a budget, workforce, list, or quantity much smaller, usually by removing

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to make a budget, workforce, list, or quantity much smaller, usually by removing parts step by step until only the essentials are left.

例句

Padma's team pared the project budget by nearly thirty percent before the board meeting.

pare + [budget] + by + [percentage] — typical business framing

The new manager pared the staff down to twelve people within his first three months.

pare + down + to + [number] for workforce reductions

同義詞
  • cut

    neutral, very common; works in any register

  • trim

    softer; suggests a smaller, more careful reduction

  • slash

    informal, dramatic; suggests a sudden, very large cut

反義詞
  • expand

    increase in size or amount, the opposite movement

  • boost

    raise a number or level on purpose

文法句型

pare + [amount/budget/staff]

pare + object + down/back

pare + object + to + [target]

用法筆記

Object is usually a measurable quantity the speaker views as too large — costs, jobs, hours, options, words. Frequently followed by 'down', 'back', 'by [amount]', or 'to [target]'. Distinguish from sense 1: here nothing is physically cut; the verb is about scaling things down on paper or in plans.

常見錯誤

❌The new diet pared his weight a little.
✅The new diet pared his weight by ten kilos.
💡sense 2 implies a substantial reduction, not a small one; pair it with a clear amount.