shrink

American  

[shringk] / ʃrɪŋk /

verb (used without object)

shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken, shrinking

1. to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance.

   to shrink from danger; to shrink from contact.

   Synonyms:

   quail, recoil, withdraw

2. 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.

3. to become reduced in extent or scope.

   Antonyms:

   increase

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verb (used with object)

shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken, shrinking

1. to cause to shrink or contract; reduce.

2. Textiles. to cause (a fabric) to contract during finishing, thus preventing shrinkage, during laundering, of the garments made from it.

noun

1. an act or instance of shrinking.

2. a shrinking movement.

3. shrinkage.

4. Also called head shrinker.  Slang. Also a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst.

shrink British  

/ ʃrɪŋk /

verb

1. to contract or cause to contract as from wetness, heat, cold, etc

2. to become or cause to become smaller in size

3. 1. to recoil or withdraw

      to shrink from the sight of blood

   2. to feel great reluctance (at)

      to shrink from killing an animal

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noun

1. the act or an instance of shrinking

2. slang a psychiatrist

Related Words

See wince ¹. See decrease.

Other Word Forms

• nonshrinkable adjective
• nonshrinking adjective
• nonshrinkingly adverb
• overshrink verb
• shrinkable adjective
• shrinker noun
• shrinking adjective
• shrinkingly adverb
• unshrinkable adjective
• unshrinking adjective
• unshrinkingly adverb

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."

Example Sentences

The number of competitive seats in the general election will shrink.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

They discovered that, unlike the polar filaments formed by similar systems in other bacteria, the filaments in Anabaena are bipolar, meaning they can grow and shrink from both ends.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

In a speech calling on the Fed to shrink its balance sheet, Miran said that the economic effects of balance-sheet reduction “can be offset with a lower federal-funds rate.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

Client outflows when Miller was lagging the market helped shrink his main fund from $21 billion in assets to less than $3 billion in a handful of years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

He seems to shrink in his father’s presence, just as Tano did in Nansi’s.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• decrease
• diminish
• drop off
• dwindle
• fall off
• lessen
• narrow
• reduce
• shorten
• shrivel
• wane
• weaken
• wither