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
Explanation
What do love, money, and the earth all have in common? All can dwindle, or shrink away, if we don't handle them properly. The word dwindle has a wonderfully descriptive, almost childlike sound to it, as though it belongs in a nursery rhyme. That might help you remember the meaning, which is to shrink away gradually, like the Cheshire Cat in "Alice in Wonderland," who dwindles away until nothing is left but his grin.
Vocabulary lists containing dwindle
List 2
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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.
Analysts say that most large companies have two to four weeks of petrochemical inventories, but that is going to dwindle in late March.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026
One vision is bleak: The new crop will dwindle rapidly, leading to a depleted grove and possible extinction due to drought, a warming climate and the fire-enhancing effects of a century of fire suppression.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Defense stocks usually rally ahead of a broader conflict, but gains typically dwindle after the start of the war — as was the case during both the Cold War and the Vietnam War.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026
Savers may be spared the indignity of seeing the returns on their cash dwindle to near nothing - although institutions sometimes don't need an excuse to reduce savings rates.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
If you are stuck in open water for days, your food & water supplies will dwindle to nothing.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
