decline
Americanverb (used with object)
-
declines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
declined,
past participle, past
-
declining
present participle
-
to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse.
He declined to say more about it.
- Synonyms:
- reject
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to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy.
to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.
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to cause to slope or incline downward.
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Grammar.
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to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.
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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
-
to express courteous refusal; refuse.
We sent him an invitation but he declined.
-
to bend or slant down; slope downward; descend.
The hill declines to the lake.
- Antonyms:
- rise
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(of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path.
The sun declined in the skies.
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to draw toward the close, as the day.
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to fail in strength, vigor, character, value, etc.; deteriorate.
- Synonyms:
- languish, diminish, weaken, decay, degenerate
- Antonyms:
- improve
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to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away.
to decline in popularity.
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to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.
-
Grammar. to be characterized by declension.
noun
-
declines
plural
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a downward slope; declivity.
- Synonyms:
- hill
-
a downward movement, as of prices or population; diminution.
a decline in the stock market.
-
a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration.
the decline of the Roman Empire.
- Synonyms:
- enfeeblement, degeneration, retrogression
-
a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease.
After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.
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progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.
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the later years or last part.
He became an editor in the decline of his life.
verb
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to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely
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(intr) to grow smaller; diminish
demand has declined over the years
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to slope or cause to slope downwards
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(intr) to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character
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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
noun
-
gradual deterioration or loss
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a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution
-
a downward slope; declivity
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archaic any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis
Synonym Usage
See refuse 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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declinernoun
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redeclineverb
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predeclineverb (used with object)
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declinableadjective
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undeclinedadjective
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undecliningadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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declinesimple
-
declinessimple
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have declinedperfect
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has declinedperfect
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am decliningprogressive
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are decliningprogressive
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is decliningprogressive
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have been decliningperfect progressive
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has been decliningperfect progressive
Past
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declinedsimple
-
had declinedperfect
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was decliningprogressive
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were decliningprogressive
-
had been decliningperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing decline
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 1–6
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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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 fact that space is available and affordable thanks to the general decline of the entertainment business in L.A. also helps.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
Brazil's Environment Minister, Joao Paulo Capobianco, described the decline in Amazon deforestation as "absolutely stratospheric".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
As bonds rallied, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell 0.146 percentage point to 5.097%, according to Tradeweb—its biggest weekly decline since mid-February, before the start of the Iran war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The decline in the gauge illustrates that the summer of the extreme bull has ended but, as Michael Hartnett’s weekly “Flow Show” notes, asset allocators are not underweight risk.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Royal Society, after years of decline, in which it was short of funds and performing few experiments, was showing signs of a new enthusiasm for experimental science, but Papin did not benefit.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Men can contribute to babies well into their 80s—yes, sperm quality declines but not that much—while the ability to get pregnant is pretty much capped at age 45.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
A spokesman for the Guggenheim commercial-paper business said it remains strong and that the third-quarter moves in interest rates led to declines for several market participants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Micron’s stock was down 5.6% shortly after the market opened on Tuesday amid declines across the broader chip sector.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
"We found that autophagic activity changes were not universal throughout the body and did not follow the idea that autophagy simply declines with age," said Kumsta.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
Today, due to recent declines, U.S. crime rates have dipped below the international norm.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
“I’ll be recruiting,” he interjected with a smile, as Skubal declined to comment on free agency, saying it was too soon to try to predict what the future would hold for him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Speaking at an International Monetary Fund event in Bangkok, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh declined to give any rate guidance ahead of the October meeting of the central bank’s rate-setting committee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Speaking Friday at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s annual meeting in Bangkok, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh declined to share any expectations for the central bank’s upcoming rate-setting meeting.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The rap mogul was moved to FCI Allenwood Low on Friday, a prison official said, but declined to discuss why he was moved, citing privacy, safety, and security reasons.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
They joined hands and spun and declined and fell until they were dizzy, and then they rose and did it again.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
At the same time, internal and external metrics of customer engagement have been slowing or declining, according to analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Groundwater levels are generally declining following the prolonged dry weather.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The Bay Area librarian-turned-social media star stirred concern online this summer after a series of posts in which he discussed his declining mental health.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
High-yield bonds were broadly declining Wednesday, yet they’re outperforming the broader U.S. investment-grade fixed-income market so far this year against the backdrop of a still-solid economy.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
The army of assembled reporters and photographers flocked around both players as they left the stage, but both hurried out of the theater, declining to give any statements.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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