Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

dwindle

American  
[dwin-dl] / ˈdwɪn dl /

verb (used without object)

dwindled, dwindling
  1. to become smaller and smaller; shrink; waste away.

    His vast fortune has dwindled away.

    Synonyms:
    wane, lessen, decline, diminish
    Antonyms:
    increase
  2. to fall away, as in quality; degenerate.


verb (used with object)

dwindled, dwindling
  1. to make smaller and smaller; cause to shrink.

    Failing health dwindles ambition.

    Synonyms:
    lessen
    Antonyms:
    magnify
dwindle British  
/ ˈdwɪndəl /

verb

  1. to grow or cause to grow less in size, intensity, or number; diminish or shrink gradually

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Fuel prices have soared, public transport has dwindled and some airlines have suspended flights to Cuba, hitting the country's fragile economy.

From Barron's

"Because they're seabirds, they have one egg every year, and if they don't get those birds away, the numbers are going to dwindle very, very quickly."

From BBC

No oil has arrived since January 9, hitting the power sector while public transport has dwindled and airlines curtailed flights to the island, a blow to the all-important tourism sector.

From Barron's

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

Indians like housewife Kriti Prasad have been found themselves desperately hunting for cooking gas as supplies dwindle.

From Barron's