decline

American  

[dih-klahyn] / dɪˈklaɪn /

verb (used with object)

• declines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• declined,
  past participle,  past
• declining
  present participle

1. 

   to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse.

   He declined to say more about it.

   Synonyms:

   reject

2. to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy.

   to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.

3. to cause to slope or incline downward.

4. Grammar.

   1. to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.

   2. to recite or display all or some subset of the inflected forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a fixed order.

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verb (used without object)

• declines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• declined,
  past participle,  past
• declining
  present participle

1. to express courteous refusal; refuse.

   We sent him an invitation but he declined.

2. to bend or slant down; slope downward; descend.

   The hill declines to the lake.

   Antonyms:

   rise

3. (of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path.

   The sun declined in the skies.

4. to draw toward the close, as the day.

5. to fail in strength, vigor, character, value, etc.; deteriorate.

   Synonyms:

   languish, diminish, weaken, decay, degenerate

   Antonyms:

   improve

6. to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away.

   to decline in popularity.

7. to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.

8. Grammar. to be characterized by declension.

noun

• declines
  plural

1. a downward slope; declivity.

   Synonyms:

   hill

2. a downward movement, as of prices or population; diminution.

   a decline in the stock market.

3. a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration.

   the decline of the Roman Empire.

   Synonyms:

   enfeeblement, degeneration, retrogression

4. a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease.

   After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.

5. progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.

6. the later years or last part.

   He became an editor in the decline of his life.

decline British  

/ dɪˈklaɪn /

verb

1. to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely

2. (intr) to grow smaller; diminish

   demand has declined over the years

3. to slope or cause to slope downwards

4. (intr) to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character

5. grammar to state or list the inflections of (a noun, adjective, or pronoun), or (of a noun, adjective, or pronoun) to be inflected for number, case, or gender Compare conjugate

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noun

1. gradual deterioration or loss

2. a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution

3. a downward slope; declivity

4. archaic any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis

Synonym Usage

See refuse ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• decliner
  noun
• redecline
  verb
• predecline
  verb (used with object)
• declinable
  adjective
• undeclined
  adjective
• undeclining
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• declines
  plural

Participles

• declining
  present
• declined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• decline
  simple
• declines
  simple
• have declined
  perfect
• has declined
  perfect
• am declining
  progressive
• are declining
  progressive
• is declining
  progressive
• have been declining
  perfect progressive
• has been declining
  perfect progressive

Past

• declined
  simple
• had declined
  perfect
• was declining
  progressive
• were declining
  progressive
• had been declining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will decline
  simple
• will have declined
  perfect
• will be declining
  progressive
• will have been declining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of decline

First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English declinen, from Old French: “to inflect, turn aside, sink,” from Latin dēclīnāre “to slope, incline, bend”; compare Greek klī́nein “to lean” ( see lean ¹); (noun) Middle English declin, from Old French, derivative of decliner

Explanation

When something declines, it goes downhill. If you stop working out, your health may decline. If you want it to improve, you should start climbing inclines instead of coasting down declines. The verb decline means refuse to accept, but the noun decline means a downward slope (the opposite of an incline), or a decrease in quality. At the gym, the treadmill has an incline button to control how steep your climb is. Sadly, there's no button for decline, which would be much easier. Both words contain cline, or "to bend." The prefix tells you which way the bend goes. Decline implies a going, or turning, down.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decline declines declined declining

It is hard to say how much to chalk up to AI, rather than longer-running trends like the decline of newspapers, record sales and Hollywood blockbusters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

“Micron is no longer the same company it was in 2023,” he said, referring to the last downcycle for the company, at which point revenue and profits sank due to a decline in demand.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

And being stuck in a hospital bed is not good for a patient, often leading to a decline in physical health rather than aiding their recovery.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The states asked the judge to decline Booker’s request and instead determine whether the decree is fair, reasonable, equitable and lawful.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Again, to these 8,000 people only, letters are sent concerning the index’s performance the following week: 4,000 predicting a rise; 4,000, a decline.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Roblox stock declines as Wall Street believes investors could be misreading the videogame company’s business trajectory.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

As planetary systems mature and the flow of material onto the star declines, the jets weaken and the escaping gas becomes increasingly atomic.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026

Nike’s stock is on track to suffer a fifth straight year of declines — it has tumbled nearly 80% during that stretch and closed at a 12-year low as recently as Sept. 18.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

If crude’s declines hold, that could ease the inflation fears that have sent bond yields up and stoked rate-hike expectations, weighing on the precious metal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Both declines have been laid to drought, but this is contested.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

It found that spending declined by as much as 14% when enrollees moved from an employer plan with “completely free health care”—no premium, deductible or in-network cost-sharing—to a plan with a $3,000 deductible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Premier League declined to comment, while City released a statement saying the "Premier League process remains ongoing with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality".

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Southern Section declined comment whether the case is closed after Inglewood’s actions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

However, KeyBanc analysts led by Brandon Nispel said in a recent report that Starlink’s monthly average users in August declined 17% relative to a year earlier.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026

I called him but got sent so quickly to voice mail that I knew he had seen my number and declined.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

The swimming pool retailer is expected to hand control to its lenders after struggling under a heavy debt load and declining sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Seagrass habitats store carbon, support biodiversity and help protect coastlines from erosion, but are declining globally due to pollution, development, disturbance and climate change.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

Weinstein, imprisoned and suffering from declining health, sought relief in both California and New York.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The DOE cited California’s military installations, declining oil production, and dependence on imported crude.

From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026

Barack and I did what we could to protect our kids from too much exposure, declining all media requests for them and working to keep their everyday lives largely out of sight.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• decrease
• depreciate
• deteriorate
• diminish
• drop
• dwindle
• fail
• fall
• lower
• recede
• return
• sag
• shrink
• sink
• slide
• wane
• weaken
• worsen