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:
"I was thinking the interest rates would decrease and then I'd be able to purchase a house, but I don't think that's likely now," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 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
There, despite a five percent decrease in cultivated areas production is set to come in up 10 percent on 2025, albeit still 11 percent below the 2021-2025 average.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
A “majority” of ticket prices for concerts decrease after you buy them, says Keith Pagello, founder of ticket-tracking platform TicketData.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
A further decrease of 8% in solar radiation, they calculate, would bring the walls creeping together; there would be no men, no land; only ice.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
If the laser begins to drift away from that frequency, the amount of light absorbed by the nuclei decreases.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 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
The bill also gives some legal protection for school districts against financial penalties if their arts funding decreases as a result of factors beyond their control, such as the expiration of a grant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Livestock decreases due to lack of land and feed, opening up more space for crops.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
As my heartbeat decreases and that knot that encloses my heart loosens, I think that maybe, just maybe, everything will be all right.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
Shipments of aluminum decreased 5% sequentially, following elevated second-quarter shipments associated with inventory repositioning efforts, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
As tumors grew in mice, the proportion of tetraploid cells actually decreased.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 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
Truck supply has decreased due to safety enforcement, said Shelley Simpson, CEO of J.B.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The slope of the bars of honey-colored sunlight decreased; they slid up the bushes, passed over the green candle-like buds, moved up toward tile canopy, and darkness thickened under the trees.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
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 dark chocolate aroma therefore appeared to reduce appetite mainly by decreasing hunger and increasing perceived fullness.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
State media later said the risk from that lake was "decreasing" and rescue operations were proceeding "in an orderly manner".
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
But recent, more precise measurements of dark energy’s strength hint that it might actually be decreasing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 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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