v.将 ... 减到最少；贬低

Governments consider it prudent to minimize the risk. 各国政府均认为把这种危害降低到最小程度的做法是明智的。

The polar explorers took every precaution to minimize the dangers of their trip. 极地探险者十分小心谨慎，以便使旅途的危险性减少到最小。

A sound approach to the problem is to minimize the number of parts. 正确解决这一问题的方法是把零件的数目减至最少。

He minimized the value of her contribution to his research so that he got all the praise. 他极力贬低她在那项研究中的贡献，从而独获全部奖励。

minimize在英式英语中又作minimise。