dwindle
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See decrease.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dwindlesimple
-
dwindlessimple
-
have dwindledperfect
-
has dwindledperfect
-
am dwindlingprogressive
-
are dwindlingprogressive
-
is dwindlingprogressive
-
have been dwindlingperfect progressive
-
has been dwindlingperfect progressive
Past
-
dwindledsimple
-
had dwindledperfect
-
was dwindlingprogressive
-
were dwindlingprogressive
-
had been dwindlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dwindle
1590–1600; dwine (now dial.) to waste away ( Middle English; Old English dwīnan; cognate with Middle Dutch dwīnen to languish, Old Norse dvīna to pine away) + -le
Explanation
What do love, money, and the earth all have in common? All can dwindle, or shrink away, if we don't handle them properly. The word dwindle has a wonderfully descriptive, almost childlike sound to it, as though it belongs in a nursery rhyme. That might help you remember the meaning, which is to shrink away gradually, like the Cheshire Cat in "Alice in Wonderland," who dwindles away until nothing is left but his grin.
Vocabulary lists containing dwindle
List 2
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The question is whether price increases accelerate as inventory sources dwindle.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Vendors at the market are watching their profit margins dwindle and weighing just how much they can raise prices, aware that many of their customers are also struggling to get by.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none series lead dwindle to 3-2 after a 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
When supplies dwindle competition for them intensifies between the two major importing regions: Asia and Europe.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
There was much to remember about that time, and much to tell, but the moon in its nightly travels would dwindle, disappear, and fatten again before their stories were entirely told.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
But chances of finding anyone alive beneath deep rubble dwindles rapidly after a critical 72-hour window for rescuing trapped people.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
As time dwindles, the Internal Revenue Service has received over 1 million fewer income-tax returns compared to the same point a year ago.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026
A great stair should lead to something great, but this one dwindles away in the upper stories without fulfilling its mighty promise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Alternatively, gulls may be relying on human leftovers for much of the year as the natural food supply dwindles.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2025
By evening the voice dwindles to a croaking.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
By the two-year anniversary of the bombing, the full-time task force of 120 investigators—who had interviewed nearly 5,000 individuals and pursued leads in 38 states and three countries—had dwindled to several detectives.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Putnam wrote that as regular social engagement and recreation dwindled, so did participation in daily civic life.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
Aid deliveries that reached the camp weeks ago have dwindled as services across the city are repeatedly hit.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
But by Monday, hope of finding the Sacramento Valley man alive had dwindled, Almos said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Frodo crawled to the edge of the road and watched the rider, until he dwindled into the distance.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Some Iranian officials feared dwindling supplies posed a risk of social unrest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
The idea has sparked debate, the sources said, with some officials worried that a pause would set back the department’s efforts to hire more police officers and replenish its dwindling ranks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
While it's difficult to prove precise links, she says - for example- a sense of stagnation and dwindling infrastructure can make communities feel that the political system, "is not working for people like them."
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Gore soberly presented the earth’s dwindling ice, rising seas and increasingly violent weather.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Mark sits on a seat at the tail end of the vessel and twists backward to look up at the towering skyscraper, where the dwindling glow of the day’s sunshine reflects an amber sheen.
From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
