decrease

[dih-krees, dee-krees, dih-krees]

verb (used without object)

decreased, decreasing 

1. to diminish or lessen in extent, quantity, strength, power, etc..

   During the ten-day march across the desert their supply of water decreased rapidly.

   Synonyms: abate, contract, decline, lessen, wane
   Antonyms: expand, increase

verb (used with object)

decreased, decreasing 

1. to make less; cause to diminish.

   to decrease one's work load.

noun

1. the act or process of decreasing; condition of being decreased; gradual reduction.

   a decrease in sales;

   a decrease in intensity.

   Synonyms: subsidence, decline, abatement

2. the amount by which a thing is lessened.

   The decrease in sales was almost 20 percent.

decrease

verb

1. to diminish or cause to diminish in size, number, strength, etc

noun

1. the act or process of diminishing; reduction

2. the amount by which something has been diminished

Other Word Forms

• undecreased adjective
• decreasingly adverb
• decreasing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrease¹

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; crescent

Word History and Origins

Origin of decrease¹

C14: from Old French descreistre, from Latin dēcrescere to grow less, from _de- + crescere to grow

Synonym Study

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.

Example Sentences

This rise aligns with the decrease in the number of pets being insured last year.

From BBC

Edison has said its increased fire prevention work will decrease the number of times that it must shut off power to communities in hot, windy weather to stop lines from sparking fires.

From Los Angeles Times

“Taking steps now to decrease consumptive uses across the Basin will reduce the need to implement draconian measures in the following years.”

From Los Angeles Times

He plans to tell nominees that he will donate $100,000 to charity on the night, but the donation will decrease for every acceptance speech that goes over the time limit.

From BBC

Each year, the worker-to-retiree ratio decreases, and it will continue to do so.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• abate 
• curb 
• curtail 
• cut down 
• decline 
• depreciate 
• deteriorate 
• diminish 
• drop 
• drop off 
• dwindle 
• ease 
• ebb 
• fall off 
• lessen 
• lower 
• reduce 
• shrink 
• sink 
• slacken 

When To Use

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.