decrease
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the act or process of decreasing; condition of being decreased; gradual reduction.
a decrease in sales;
a decrease in intensity.
- Synonyms:
- subsidence, decline, abatement
-
the amount by which a thing is lessened.
The decrease in sales was almost 20 percent.
verb
noun
-
the act or process of diminishing; reduction
-
the amount by which something has been diminished
Usage
What does decrease mean? To decrease is to lessen or become reduced in number, amount, size, or in some other way, as in Our profits will continue to decrease unless we cut costs. As a verb, decrease is also used in an active way in which someone or something is doing the decreasing, as in I’m going to decrease my hours at work or These sunglasses decrease glare. The word reduce is perhaps even more commonly used to mean the same thing. Decrease can also be used as a noun referring to a reduction, as in We are experiencing a decrease in applicants. It can also refer to the amount by which something has decreased, as in The decrease was $5,000 per year. The words decreased and decreasing can both be used as adjectives, as in a decreased appetite or decreasing sales. The opposite of decrease as both a verb and a noun is increase. Example: Sally decided to decrease her workload, which led to a decrease in stress.
Synonym Usage
Decrease, diminish, dwindle, shrink imply becoming smaller or less in amount. Decrease commonly implies a sustained reduction in stages, especially of bulk, size, volume, or quantity, often from some imperceptible cause or inherent process: The swelling decreased daily. Diminish usually implies the action of some external cause that keeps taking away: Disease caused the number of troops to diminish steadily. Dwindle implies an undesirable reduction by degrees, resulting in attenuation: His followers dwindled to a mere handful. Shrink especially implies contraction through an inherent property under specific conditions: Many fabrics shrink in hot water.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
decreasesimple
-
decreasessimple
-
have decreasedperfect
-
has decreasedperfect
-
am decreasingprogressive
-
are decreasingprogressive
-
is decreasingprogressive
-
have been decreasingperfect progressive
-
has been decreasingperfect progressive
Past
-
decreasedsimple
-
had decreasedperfect
-
was decreasingprogressive
-
were decreasingprogressive
-
had been decreasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decrease
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb decresen, from Old French decreiss-, long stem of decreistre, from Latin dēcrēscere “to diminish,” literally “to grow down,” equivalent to dē- de- + crēscere “to grow”); noun derivative of the verb; see crescent
Explanation
Decrease means to lower or go down. If you are driving above the speed limit, you should decrease your speed or risk getting a ticket. Students always want teachers to decrease the amount of homework. The opposite of decrease is increase, which means to raise. In science, you often are measuring increases and decreases. Is there a decrease in the time it takes water to boil when you begin with water as a liquid rather than water in its ice-cube form?
Vocabulary lists containing decrease
List 2
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Ratios and Proportional Relationships
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Ratios and Proportional Relationships
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
In October 2026, a new wave of cuts to CalFresh will decrease the federal government’s contribution to CalFresh from 50% to 25%, leaving a larger portion of costs to states, counties and regional organizations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
For all of the vicious debates over sex ed in the ’90 and 2000s, those pushing abstinence and those promoting comprehensive health education could largely agree on one thing: We wanted teen pregnancies to decrease.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Calcium-fortified sparkling water produced a decrease after 5 minutes.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
Verizon attributed the decrease to a nearly 20% decline in equipment revenue as customers hold onto their mobile devices longer and longer before upgrading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
But, anyway, the clothes kept us from getting sunburned, and they did help to decrease the rate at which we were perspiring.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Others have said that while small price decreases are welcome, they appreciate the messaging it sends more.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Boston Beer’s shipment volume fell 4.5% to two million barrels, driven by decreases in brands such as Twisted Tea, Truly and Samuel Adams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
As prices fall and volatility increases, debt coverage decreases, prompting margin calls as a high proportion of debt is secured over financial assets — forcing deleveraging.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
As cooler, drier air spreads into the central Pacific, evaporation decreases, atmospheric circulation weakens, and winds along the equator strengthen.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
These areas would show changes— like increases and decreases in blood flow—when study subjects were trying to focus on something, or when they were overwhelmed with information, putting intensified pressure on the attention networks.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Including deductions, the bank’s CET1 ratio, a measure of capital strength, decreased to 13.9% at June 30 from 14.2% a year earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
As the European contribution decreased, the US share of the funding rose.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
In June, the number of active listings decreased 16% in Manhattan and 0.4% in Brooklyn from the previous year, according to real-estate company the Corcoran Group.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
Feature film shoots were down 20% in the second quarter compared to last year, while TV production decreased by 30%.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Is it possible that violent crime has decreased because so many people are being locked up?
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
And recent polling suggests public backing for Israel is decreasing in the US.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
So they spent the next five years steadily decreasing their asking price in hopes of landing a buyer.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Despite a significant proportion of American births to single mothers, the number of unmarried women giving birth has actually been decreasing for the past decade, with the decline largely driven by teenagers and working-class women.
From Slate ● Jul. 6, 2026
U.S. crude oil inventories fell for a ninth consecutive week, decreasing by 6.1 million barrels to 412.1 million barrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Strewn around the Cornucopia are other supplies, their value decreasing the farther they are from the horn.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
