decrease

[ verb dih-krees; noun dee-krees, dih-krees ]

See synonyms for: decrease decreased decreasing on Thesaurus.com

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.

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

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 for decrease

1	wane, lessen, fall off, decline, contract, abate
3	abatement, decline, subsidence, shrinking, dwindling, ebbing

See synonyms for decrease on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for decrease

1	increase, expand

See antonyms for decrease on Thesaurus.com

Other words from decrease

un·de·creased, adjective

Words Nearby decrease

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use decrease in a sentence

That’s actually a decrease from 2014, when 8 million taxpayers made a payment.
Trump’s ABC News town hall: Four Pinocchios, over and over again | Glenn Kessler | September 16, 2020 | Washington Post
Luckily, however, that meant a steep decrease in the average production costs, according to Fitzgibbons.
‘Our goal is to become a massive marketplace’: NTWRK is bringing livestream commerce to a younger generation | Kayleigh Barber | September 14, 2020 | Digiday
After three days, all five showed a measurable decrease in systolic blood pressure, a drop in heart rate, and an increase in creativity and feelings of well-being.
27 Epic Trips to Start Planning Now | The Editors | September 8, 2020 | Outside Online
The decline is likely partially the result of an overall decrease in streaming after Covid-19 hit the US, due to the absence of people listening to music on commutes and in stores.
Is Spotify killing the top 40? | Dan Kopf | September 5, 2020 | Quartz
For example, pages with more than 500,000 likes on Facebook have seen a dramatic decrease in reach, possibly to encourage companies to increase their ad spend.
Five reasons why SEO should be prioritized over paid media campaigns | Ryan Gould | September 4, 2020 | Search Engine Watch

Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said the decline was a result of an effort to decrease gang violence.
America’s 2014 Murder Capital | Brandy Zadrozny | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
That indicated a relatively rapid increase in methane, followed by an equally fast decrease.
Methane on Mars: Life or Just Gas? | Matthew R. Francis | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Neighboring Guinea and Liberia, said WHO, were presenting evidence of a decrease in cases.
Jail Threats for Sierra Leone Ebola Victims’ Families | Abby Haglage | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In his mind, this is only as problematic as the decrease in international support that it may cause.
The WHO’s Big Asterisk on Liberia’s Ebola Case Decrease | Abby Haglage | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“The sense down there is we have to understand what [this decrease] is,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic tells The Daily Beast.
The WHO’s Big Asterisk on Liberia’s Ebola Case Decrease | Abby Haglage | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In mild cases a slight decrease of hemoglobin is the only blood change noted.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
It is evident that an absolute increase of any variety may be accompanied by a relative decrease.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
The infectious diseases in which leukocytosis is absent (p. 160) often cause a slight decrease of leukocytes.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
The decrease affects chiefly the polymorphonuclear cells, so that the lymphocytes are relatively increased.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
There is decided decrease of hemoglobin and red corpuscles, with moderate leukopenia and relative lymphocytosis.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

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

Origin of decrease

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

Derived forms of decrease

decreasing, adjective
decreasingly, adverb

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

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