shrink
verb (used without object)
to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance.
had shrunk
-
past perfectof shrink.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
By the time he passed the stretch of road where I was standing on a fence, some 2.5 miles from the line, the gap had shrunk to a minute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
Pizza Hut’s share had shrunk to under 18% over that period.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026
In its latest quarterly earnings report, Starbucks said its operating margins had shrunk by 5 percentage points year over year to 9.4% largely because of inflation and tariffs.
From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2025
In recent years, advertising revenue had shrunk but viewership remained strong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025
But by the time my mother had had her say about him, I saw his brain had shrunk from laziness, so that now it was good only for thinking up excuses.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
