shrink
Americanverb (used without object)
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to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance.
to shrink from danger; to shrink from contact.
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to contract or lessen in size, as from exposure to conditions of temperature or moisture.
This cloth will not shrink if washed in lukewarm water.
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to become reduced in extent or scope.
- Antonyms:
- increase
verb (used with object)
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to cause to shrink or contract; reduce.
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Textiles. to cause (a fabric) to contract during finishing, thus preventing shrinkage, during laundering, of the garments made from it.
noun
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an act or instance of shrinking.
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a shrinking movement.
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shrinkage.
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Also called head shrinker. Slang. Also a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst.
verb
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to contract or cause to contract as from wetness, heat, cold, etc
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to become or cause to become smaller in size
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to recoil or withdraw
to shrink from the sight of blood
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to feel great reluctance (at)
to shrink from killing an animal
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noun
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the act or an instance of shrinking
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slang a psychiatrist
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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shrinkernoun
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overshrinkverb
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nonshrinkableadjective
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nonshrinkingadjective
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shrinkableadjective
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shrinkingadjective
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unshrinkableadjective
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unshrinkingadjective
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nonshrinkinglyadverb
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shrinkinglyadverb
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unshrinkinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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shrinksimple
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shrinkssimple
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have shrunkperfect
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have shrunkenperfect
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has shrunkperfect
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has shrunkenperfect
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am shrinkingprogressive
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are shrinkingprogressive
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is shrinkingprogressive
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have been shrinkingperfect progressive
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has been shrinkingperfect progressive
Past
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shranksimple
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shrunksimple
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had shrunkperfect
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had shrunkenperfect
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was shrinkingprogressive
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were shrinkingprogressive
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had been shrinkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shrink
First recorded before 900, and in 1955–60 shrink for def. 9; Middle English schrinken, Old English scrincan; cognate with Middle Dutch schrinken, Swedish skrynka “to shrink,” Norwegian skrukka “old shrunken woman”
Explanation
Shrink is the informal word you can use to talk about a therapist. Talking about your problems with her can hopefully help you shrink them, or make them smaller. The word shrink is related to the Swedish skrynka meaning "to wrinkle." Think about what happens to a lone forgotten fruit at the bottom of your fridge drawer. After a while, it begins to wrinkle or shrink. Clothes washed in hot water tend to shrink, so be wary of the setting on your washing machine. The use of shrink as referring to therapists started as late as the 1960s — with the idea of a psychologist being a "head-shrinker."
Vocabulary lists containing shrink
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Siberian Survivors" and "Tigers in the Wild"
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Words with Two Past-Tense Forms That Creeped (or Crept) into English
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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.
Instead, they emit a faint form of radiation that slowly drains their energy, causing them to shrink and eventually disappear.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
Second, the court did not shrink from this debate just because it may be that later courts will find that the warrant for Chatrie’s data was, in the end, legal.
From Slate • Jul. 1, 2026
In a speech, Jones said "Westminster must trust local leaders to make the right decisions" and suggested government departments could "shrink" if Burnham becomes prime minister.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
Netflix’s co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters also saw their pay packages shrink — Sarandos’ dropped 13% to $53.9 million and Peters’ fell 12% to $53.2 million.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
Dr. Minerva is a good shrink, I think.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
