decrease

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

/ verb dɪˈkris; noun ˈdi kris, dɪˈkris /

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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.

Nearby words

Origin of decrease

1350–1400; Middle English decres (noun), decresen (v.) < Old French decreiss-, long stem of decreistre < Latin dēcrēscere (dē- de- + crēscere to grow); see crescent

SYNONYMS FOR decrease

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

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ANTONYMS FOR decrease

1. increase, expand.

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Related formsun·de·creased, adjective

Synonym study

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for decrease

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|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|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|DAILY BEAST
At least one study showed that weight loss resulted in an increase in the number of “Bacters” and a decrease in the “Firms.”
‘Good Poop’ Diet Is the Next Big Thing|Daniela Drake|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And 9,869 people died from prescription opioids in 2012, a decrease from 2011, back to 2008 levels.
Heroin Overdoses Double in Two Years|Brandy Zadrozny|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another good suggestion in a case of this kind is to decrease the duration of the bath.
Vitality Supreme|Bernarr Macfadden
This decrease cannot be accomplished quickly by any known medical miracle.
The Eugenic Marriage, Volume I. (of IV.)|W. Grant Hague, M.D.
It is plain that a gear, like a lever, may change direction as well as increase or decrease power.
Practical Mechanics for Boys|J. S. Zerbe
Courtesy increases, as we travel eastward round the world, coincidently with a decrease in the sense of self.
The Soul of the Far East|Percival Lowell
The decrease in induced pressure is small, but it is always ample to allow the required increase in primary current.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various

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 Formsdecreasing, adjectivedecreasingly, adverb

Word 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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for decrease

decrease

late 14c., from Anglo-French decreiss-, present participle stem of decreistre, Old French descroistre (12c., Modern French décroître), from Latin decrescere "to grow less, diminish," from de- "away from" (see de-) + crescere "to grow" (see crescent). Related: Decreased; decreasing.

decrease

late 14c., "detriment, harm;" early 15c. as "a becoming less or smaller," from Anglo-French decres; see decrease (v.).

decrease

verb (used without object), de·creased, de·creas·ing.

verb (used with object), de·creased, de·creas·ing.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of decrease

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for decrease

decrease

verb (dɪˈkriːs)

noun (ˈdiːkriːs, dɪˈkriːs)

Word Origin for decrease

decrease

decrease