dwindle
[ dwin-dl ]
/ ˈdwɪn dl /
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
SYNONYMS FOR dwindle
Related formsun·dwin·dling, adjective
Synonym study
1. See decrease.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for dwindling
British Dictionary definitions for dwindling
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
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