decline

[ dih-klahyn ]

/ dɪˈklaɪn /

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See synonyms for: decline / declined / declining on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·clined, de·clin·ing.

to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse: He declined to say more about it.

to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy: to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.

to cause to slope or incline downward.

Grammar.

to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.
to recite or display all or some subset of the inflected forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a fixed order.

verb (used without object), de·clined, de·clin·ing.

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.

(of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path: The sun declined in the skies.

to draw toward the close, as the day.

to fail in strength, vigor, character, value, etc.; deteriorate.

to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away: to decline in popularity.

to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.

Grammar. to be characterized by declension.

noun

a downward slope; declivity.

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.

a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease: After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.

progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.

the later years or last part: He became an editor in the decline of his life.

OTHER WORDS FOR decline

1 reject.

9 degenerate, decay, weaken, diminish, languish.

13 hill.

15 retrogression, degeneration, enfeeblement, weakening.

See synonyms for decline on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR decline

6 rise.

9 improve.

See antonyms for decline on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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 lean¹); (noun) Middle English declin, from Old French, derivative of decliner

synonym study for decline

1. See refuse¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM decline

de·clin·er, nounpre·de·cline, verb (used with object), pre·de·clined, pre·de·clin·ing.re·de·cline, verb, re·de·clined, re·de·clin·ing, nounun·de·clined, adjective

un·de·clin·ing, adjective

How to use decline in a sentence

It’s just the latest in a bumper year of piracy for the region, reversing what had been a decline in global piracy.
Piracy is thriving off the coast of West Africa despite COVID nearly crushing global marine traffic|kdunn6|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Less than a month after the Boy Scouts filed for bankruptcy in February, the coronavirus pandemic closed schools and halted many in-person Scouting programs, weakening membership that was already on the decline.
Boy Scouts must settle 95,000 abuse claims by next summer — or risk running out of cash|Samantha Schmidt|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
The biggest decline was in the transportation sector, which fell by 14%, the report found.
US emissions plummeted this year—for all the wrong reasons|James Temple|November 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
This will see two new carbon capture and storage “clusters” built by the middle of this decade, helping to support 50,000 jobs, potentially in parts of northeastern England where heavy industry has been in decline.
Facing an epic recession, Britain unveils its ‘green industrial revolution’ to jumpstart economy, create jobs|Bernhard Warner|November 18, 2020|Fortune

Publishers have to build for scarcity, whether it comes in the near term via the pandemic and its economic consequences extending into 2021, or further down the line as one revenue stream or another faces erosion and decline.
Deep Dive: How the future of publishing is taking shape in the ongoing coronavirus crisis era|Pierre Bienaimé|November 17, 2020|Digiday
The Italian foreign ministry has declined to comment on the video.
Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages|Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She adds that they continued to email, but “finally, in so many words, he declined to be interviewed.”
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline|Emily Shire|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fossella declined to run again, but in the years since he has mused aloud about challenging Grimm.
Will Dirty Pol Vito Fossella Replace Dirty Pol Michael Grimm?|David Freedlander|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the current pontiff, for reasons one might fully understand, declined to meet the would-be papal assassin.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Abu Faour declined repeated requests to comment for this article.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But, when the car came thundering down, it was crammed to the step; with a melancholy gesture, the driver declined her signal.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
He drew himself up more stiffly than before, as he declined the offer.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
They gardened, they drove out, they rowed and sailed upon the lake, but they declined all acquaintances.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
That made men sin by word, and supplanted him that reproved them in the gate, and declined in vain from the just.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Mr. Pontellier declined to interfere, to interpose either his influence or his authority.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for decline

decline

/ (dɪˈklaɪn) /

verb

to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely

(intr) to grow smaller; diminishdemand has declined over the years

to slope or cause to slope downwards

(intr) to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character

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 genderCompare conjugate (def. 1)

noun

gradual deterioration or loss

a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution

a downward slope; declivity

archaic any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis

Derived forms of decline

declinable, adjectivedecliner, noun

Word Origin for decline

C14: from Old French decliner to inflect, turn away, sink, from Latin dēclīnāre to bend away, inflect grammatically

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

decline

OTHER WORDS FOR decline

OPPOSITES FOR decline

Origin of decline

synonym study for decline

OTHER WORDS FROM decline

Words related to decline

How to use decline in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for decline

Derived forms of decline

Word Origin for decline