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.
"If that trend continued, you'd potentially see your site traffic almost dwindle to nothing."
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
How much materials for drone production Iran has stockpiled is unclear—but they will inevitably dwindle as the conflict drags on.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
The new trees dwindle as the weak die and the strong thrive.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Worried about waiting to escape as food and air-defense munitions dwindle, he is weighing paying a hefty price for a seven-hour taxi ride through Saudi Arabia’s deserts—and oil fields, which could be targets—to Riyadh.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
Like musicians, like mathematicians—like elite athletes—scientists peak early and dwindle fast.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
