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dwindle

[ dwin-dl ]
/ ˈdwɪn dl /
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See synonyms for: dwindle / dwindled / dwindling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), dwin·dled, dwin·dling.
to become smaller and smaller; shrink; waste away: His vast fortune has dwindled away.
to fall away, as in quality; degenerate.
verb (used with object), dwin·dled, dwin·dling.
to make smaller and smaller; cause to shrink: Failing health dwindles ambition.
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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

synonym study for dwindle

1. See decrease.

OTHER WORDS FROM dwindle

un·dwin·dling, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use dwindle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dwindle

dwindle
/ (ˈdwɪndəl) /

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

Word Origin for dwindle

C16: from Old English dwīnan to waste away; related to Old Norse dvīna to pine away
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
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