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.
Stanton is a huge and consequential personage in American history, but she has dwindled in the eyes of posterity to become a subordinate of Anthony.
In this frantic atmosphere, the number of Leah’s piano students dwindled.
From Literature
As it dwindled, a stack of gold took its place.
From Literature
The Midnight Hour often makes just enough to keep the lights on, relying on vinyl and merchandise sales that have slowly dwindled as the economic crisis has intensified for people.
From Los Angeles Times
As the weeks amass and donations dwindle, survivors question how long they will be left in limbo after the worst disaster to strike Aceh since a 2004 tsunami.
From Barron's
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.
