pare vs pare down

pare and pare down both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
pare	No	No	Yes	No
pare down	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, pare and pare down are synonyms defined as:

pare (verb)	pare down (verb)
decrease gradually or bit by bit	decrease gradually or bit by bit
remove the edges from and cut down to the desired size
cut small bits or pare shavings from
remove the skin from