- To pare is defined as to peel, reduce or remove by trimming off the outside.
An example of to pare is using a knife to remove the skin of an orange.
transitive verbpared, paring
- to cut or trim away (the rind, skin, covering, rough surface, etc.) of (anything); peel
- to reduce or diminish (costs, etc.) gradually: often with down
Origin of pareMiddle English paren ; from Middle French parer, to prepare, trim, pare ; from Classical Latin parare, to prepare
transitive verbpared pared, par·ing, pares
- To remove the outer covering or skin of with a knife or similar instrument: pare apples.
- To remove by or as if by cutting, clipping, or shaving: pared off the excess dough; pared fat from the budget.
- To reduce, as in quantity or size; trim: pare expenses.
Origin of pareMiddle English paren, from Old French parer, to prepare, trim, from Latin parāre, to prepare; see per&schwa;-1 in Indo-European roots.
(third-person singular simple present pares, present participle paring, simple past and past participle pared)