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

But Xi now faces considerable challenges as China is facing slower economic growth and demographic decline.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The decline contrasted with a projected 0.1% increase expected by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Higher yields also boost the discount rates used in analysts’ equity-valuation models, which causes estimates of a stock’s fair value to decline.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Balance naturally deteriorates as our eyesight, sense of touch, strength and vestibular systems decline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

For the New World as a whole, the Indian population decline in the century or two following Columbus’s arrival is estimated to have been as large as 95 percent.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Fabrinet stock declines after the company posts solid earnings on robust data-center demand.

From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026

And, of course, as we age, our balance becomes compromised — we’re less able to compensate for vestibular system weaknesses as our vision declines and our sense of touch deteriorates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

But he says its important people know this conservation work is happening, with declines in some sea bird populations.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

This concern about the loss of farmland is a constant of the opposition to large projects that might bring growth to rural areas suffering from population declines, shrinking schools and empty houses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Though he asks her to join him for dinner, she declines politely and leaves alone.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

The 10-year Treasury yield fell 1.8 basis points to 4.686%, while the 30-year yield declined 1.5 basis points to 5.269%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

The US Department of Homeland Security declined the family's request for voluntary departure in July, according to records provided by Tahmasebi's lawyers.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

China’s Shanghai Composite Index declined 2.4% and the tech-heavy ChiNext Price Index shed 6.3%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Soft drinks and other beverages delivered growth of 7.8%, driven by solid growth in multiple markets, while beer volumes declined slightly by 1.0%, mainly because of Poland, China and Ukraine, it said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

“Oh yes,” said Silas, but he declined to elaborate.

From "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman

Water levels at Lake Mead, which is the largest reservoir in the US, have been declining since 2000.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The figure represented the fifth straight quarter with declining revenue.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

McDonald’s, which has reported sluggish sales growth in recent months and declining traffic, earlier this month appointed a new president of its U.S. operations, Skye Anderson.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

“We are not seeking publicity or attribution for the individuals involved and are declining interviews.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Swiatowy was declining to do so when Wickersham stepped up.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Related Words

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