decrease
[ verb dih-krees; noun dee-krees, dih-krees ]
/ verb dɪˈkris; noun ˈdi kris, dɪˈkris /
verb (used without object), de·creased, de·creas·ing.
to diminish or lessen in extent, quantity, strength, power, etc.: During the ten-day march across the desert their supply of water decreased rapidly.
verb (used with object), de·creased, de·creas·ing.
to make less; cause to diminish: to decrease one's work load.
noun
the act or process of decreasing; condition of being decreased; gradual reduction: a decrease in sales; a decrease in intensity.
the amount by which a thing is lessened: The decrease in sales was almost 20 percent.
SYNONYMS FOR decrease
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Origin of decrease
synonym study for decrease
1. 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 WORDS FROM decrease
un·de·creased, adjectiveWords nearby decrease
decorum, decoupage, decouple, decoupling, decoy, decrease, decreasing, decreasing term insurance, decree, decree absolute, decree-law
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for decrease
decrease
verb (dɪˈkriːs)
to diminish or cause to diminish in size, number, strength, etc
noun (ˈdiːkriːs, dɪˈkriːs)
the act or process of diminishing; reduction
the amount by which something has been diminished
Derived forms of decrease
decreasing, adjectivedecreasingly, adverbWord Origin for decrease
C14: from Old French descreistre, from Latin dēcrescere to grow less, from de- + crescere to grow
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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