decline
verb (used with object)
to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse.
is declining
-
present progressiveof decline (3rd person singular).present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
The percentage of Americans who frequently interact with their neighbors is declining.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
In theory this could be explained by a drawdown in domestic stockpiles amid continuing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, but refinery output also is declining.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
"Oil and gas is declining faster than many of us were expecting, but the renewables industry is simply not ready to take all the jobs," the institute's director, Prof Paul de Leeuw, told me.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
For the first time since the 1960s, the number of immigrants living in the U.S. is declining; because most farmworkers are foreign born, those losses are already beginning to strain American farms.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
Clearly, the force must in some sense be inverse—that is, declining with distance.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
