decline
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
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to express courteous refusal; refuse.
We sent him an invitation but he declined.
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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.
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Grammar. to be characterized by declension.
noun
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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.
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a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration.
the decline of the Roman Empire.
- Synonyms:
- enfeeblement, degeneration, retrogression
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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
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gradual deterioration or loss
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a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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declinesimple
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declinessimple
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have declinedperfect
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has declinedperfect
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are decliningprogressive
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am 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
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had declinedperfect
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was decliningprogressive
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were decliningprogressive
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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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"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.
Inflation, meanwhile, looked like it might resume a decline toward the Fed’s 2% goal once the effects of tariffs faded.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
“Positive sales volume development in Europe and the U.S. cannot offset the decline in sales in China and the Asia-Pacific region.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 17, 2026
People with diabetes are about 60% more likely to develop dementia than those without, and frequent episodes of low blood sugar are linked to a 50% higher chance of cognitive decline.
From Science Daily • Jun. 17, 2026
Uzbekistan are 52nd in the world and Jordan 63rd, while India have slipped to 136th after a sharp decline over the past 18 months.
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
At the drama festivals, they decline all invitations to play theater games at the lunch table.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
