decrease
Americanverb (used without object)
-
decreases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decreased,
past participle, past
-
decreasing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
decreases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decreased,
past participle, past
-
decreasing
present participle
noun
-
decreases
plural
-
the act or process of decreasing; condition of being decreased; gradual reduction.
a decrease in sales;
a decrease in intensity.
- Synonyms:
- subsidence, decline, abatement
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the amount by which a thing is lessened.
The decrease in sales was almost 20 percent.
verb
noun
-
the act or process of diminishing; reduction
-
the amount by which something has been diminished
Usage
What does decrease mean? To decrease is to lessen or become reduced in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will continue to decrease unless we cut costs. As a verb, decrease is also used in an active way in which someone or something is doing the decreasing, as in I’m going to decrease my hours at work or These sunglasses decrease glare. The word reduce is perhaps even more commonly used to mean the same thing. Decrease can also be used as a noun referring to a reduction, as in We are experiencing a decrease in applicants. It can also refer to the amount by which something has decreased, as in The decrease was $5,000 per year. The words decreased and decreasing can both be used as adjectives, as in a decreased appetite or decreasing sales. The opposite of decrease as both a verb and a noun is increase. Example: Sally decided to decrease her workload, which led to a decrease in stress.
Synonym Usage
Decrease, diminish, dwindle, shrink imply becoming smaller or less in amount. Decrease commonly implies a sustained reduction in stages, especially of bulk, size, volume, or quantity, often from some imperceptible cause or inherent process: The swelling decreased daily. Diminish usually implies the action of some external cause that keeps taking away: Disease caused the number of troops to diminish steadily. Dwindle implies an undesirable reduction by degrees, resulting in attenuation: His followers dwindled to a mere handful. Shrink especially implies contraction through an inherent property under specific conditions: Many fabrics shrink in hot water.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decreasesimple
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decreasessimple
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have decreasedperfect
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has decreasedperfect
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am decreasingprogressive
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are decreasingprogressive
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is decreasingprogressive
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have been decreasingperfect progressive
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has been decreasingperfect progressive
Past
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decreasedsimple
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had decreasedperfect
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was decreasingprogressive
-
were decreasingprogressive
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had been decreasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decrease
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb decresen, from Old French decreiss-, long stem of decreistre, from Latin dēcrēscere “to diminish,” literally “to grow down,” equivalent to dē- de- + crēscere “to grow”); noun derivative of the verb; see crescent
Explanation
Decrease means to lower or go down. If you are driving above the speed limit, you should decrease your speed or risk getting a ticket. Students always want teachers to decrease the amount of homework. The opposite of decrease is increase, which means to raise. In science, you often are measuring increases and decreases. Is there a decrease in the time it takes water to boil when you begin with water as a liquid rather than water in its ice-cube form?
Vocabulary lists containing decrease
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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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 rest of the world has seen a decrease in traffic deaths,” Kevitt told me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Some mechanical derisking saw those funds decrease long positions and increase shorts or bets against stocks last week, likely to “preserve what has been a good year,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
The number of job vacancies fell to its lowest level in more than five years, the figures indicated, with the largest decrease in construction jobs.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
Interestingly, the same decrease was not observed in astrocytes or microglia, two other important types of brain cells involved in supporting neurons and managing immune responses.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
And I didn’t know that the enthalpy decrease in a converging passage could be transformed into jet kinetic energy if a divergent passage was added.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Among the world's top-six emitters, preliminary data for 2025 showed emissions increases in the US, Indonesia and China and decreases in India, Russia and the European Union.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
When its activity decreases, cells may become less capable of protecting themselves and performing their usual jobs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
They pointed out that if the amount of water flowing into Lake Mead decreases further, it will trigger the state’s right to sue its upriver neighbors for a violation of the compact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Yet there is growing evidence that skepticism actually decreases when people see a chain of thought.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
It picks up for a second and then decreases.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Both measurements decreased early in the missions, indicating that the astronauts' hearts were temporarily moving less blood with each beat.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
However, debt as a proportion of gross domestic product decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 94 percent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
U.S. jobless claims decreased for the fifth week in a row as employers continue to keep their workforce levels static.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Their osteoporosis has worsened, and they’ve ended up suffering compression fractures in their back as a result of the decreased density of their bones.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Once in front, we actually decreased the pace, walking slowly and deliberately.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
"If we can show that we're really decreasing brain cell death, it's certainly worth trying to pursue that pathway to prevent the most devastating consequences of these diseases."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
"I'm optimistic. Their cost of capital is actually decreasing."
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The state ballot measures aim to fix the housing crisis in various ways, from amending regulations so home-building is easier, to decreasing the ongoing cost of homeownership by cutting taxes.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
The feed industry has emphasized that it is decreasing its reliance on fishmeal and fish oil — and especially the use of whole fish or fish parts that can be eaten by people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
The practice actually saved the school money by decreasing the garbage-disposal expenses.
From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
