decline
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
-
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
Related Words
See refuse 1.
Other Word Forms
- declinable adjective
- decliner noun
- predecline verb (used with object)
- redecline verb
- undeclined adjective
- undeclining adjective
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” ( lean 1 ); (noun) Middle English declin, from Old French, derivative of decliner
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.
Fellow chemical maker LyondellBasell LYB 3.77%increase; green up pointing triangle is enjoying a similar ride, with its stock up 84% so far this year after two years of decline.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
The results show a clear decline in the number of close-in giant planets as stars age.
From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026
With Wilder, he is someone who held his form well but the decline has been rapid.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
Contra Costa County experienced the third largest decline in children’s eye care in the state.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
To bankrupt any of these firms, all that was required was a very slight decline in the value of their assets.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
