dwindle
Americanverb
Related Words
See decrease.
Other Word Forms
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.
Now he’s watched the Lakers’ seemingly insurmountable three-games-to-none series lead dwindle to 3-2 after a 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Ahead of the war, with inflation set to dwindle, rate cuts seemed to be on the cards.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
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
Morgan analysts said that supply disruptions in the Gulf “are accelerating faster than expected” as storage options dwindle and force production shut-ins as early as next week.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 7, 2026
This storm might well be like others past that had caused them to suffer, had killed even—or perhaps it might dwindle beneath tonight’s stars and give their children snowbound happiness.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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.
