dwindle
Americanverb
Related Words
See decrease.
Other Word Forms
- undwindling adjective
Etymology
Origin of dwindle
1590–1600; dwine (now dial.) to waste away ( Middle English; Old English dwīnan; cognate with Middle Dutch dwīnen to languish, Old Norse dvīna to pine away) + -le
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.
By that point, the number of workers who remained out on the picket line had dwindled to 28 from the original 120 who walked out at the beginning of the strike.
From MarketWatch
But the agency has seen the voluntary contributions it relies on dwindle as it has become the focus of increasingly harsh Israeli criticism and attacks, causing what the spokesperson called an "unprecedented financial crisis".
From Barron's
Before long, the number of original blockbusters dwindled to a few movies a year, such as “Inception,” “Avatar” and anything released by Pixar that wasn’t already part of one of the studio’s existing franchises.
From Salon
But between these quarterly bouts of domestic competence lies a slack, unromantic middle ground—weeknights when my freezer reserves have dwindled and my patience along with them.
From Salon
The 7-foot center started the first four playoff games, but never played more than 10 minutes in each as his role dwindled to not playing at all in the decisive Game 5.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
