minimise

M3I1N1I1M3I1S1E1

A form of minimize — To make (something) smaller or as small as possible; shrink; reduce.

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 12

Meanings

verbminimise (third-person singular simple present minimises, present participle minimising, simple past and past participle minimised)

present singular third person minimises · participle present minimising · participle past minimised · past minimised

  1. UKnonstandardNon-Oxford British English standard spelling of minimize.

    Other requirements in similar vein are to minimise and mitigate the effects of airport expansion on existing surface access and to take all reasonable steps to minimise such effects during construction and operation.

    2019 October, John Glover, “Heathrow rail expansion”, in Modern Railways, page 71
    2 more examples

    A correspondent suggested that the superior riding qualities of the latter were due to the absence of piston-valve chests above the cylinders, which made it possible to bring the underside of the water-tanks to a lower level than that of the "Rivers", so minimising the unsteadying effect of water surging in the tanks.

    1944 May and June, “Notes and News: Tank Engine Stability”, in Railway Magazine, page 185

    The project was attractive because of the ability to maximise the use of existing and decommissioned railways, minimise land take, and decrease the amount of disruption during the project. With London land prices rocketing, there was also a significant financial incentive.

    2020 May 20, Paul Bigland, “East London Line's renaissance”, in Rail, pages 48–49

Synonyms & antonyms

verbrepresent as less significant or important

Broader

verbmake small or insignificant

Similar
Opposite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

minimise. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minimise

MLA

“minimise.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minimise. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “minimise,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/minimise.

Source: minimise on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.