shrink

American  

[shringk] / ʃrɪŋk /

verb (used without object)

• shrinks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shrunk,
  past participle,  past
• shrank,
  past
• shrunken,
  past participle
• shrinking
  present participle

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)

• shrinks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• shrunk,
  past participle,  past
• shrank,
  past
• shrunken,
  past participle
• shrinking
  present participle

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

• shrinks
  plural

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

Synonym Usage

See wince ¹. See decrease.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• shrinks
  plural

Participles

• shrinking
  present
• shrunk
  past
• shrunken
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• shrink
  simple
• shrinks
  simple
• have shrunk
  perfect
• have shrunken
  perfect
• has shrunk
  perfect
• has shrunken
  perfect
• am shrinking
  progressive
• are shrinking
  progressive
• is shrinking
  progressive
• have been shrinking
  perfect progressive
• has been shrinking
  perfect progressive

Past

• shrank
  simple
• shrunk
  simple
• had shrunk
  perfect
• had shrunken
  perfect
• was shrinking
  progressive
• were shrinking
  progressive
• had been shrinking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will shrink
  simple
• will have shrunk
  perfect
• will have shrunken
  perfect
• will be shrinking
  progressive
• will have been shrinking
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

shrink shrinks shrank shrunk shrunken shrinking

Perhaps, even, you’d directly invest in those and the pile of assets those managers advise would shrink.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Last week, fresh official data showed wage growth coming in at 3.2 percent year-on-year, lagging inflation and meaning that most people were seeing their income shrink in real terms.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

He predicted that company sizes may shrink during this transition from industrial giants to tech companies, as small teams of people powered by personal AI agents will be able to run companies at significant scale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Borrowing capacity can also shrink precisely when funds need cash most if their assets run into trouble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

The way he stared up at Pastor Emerson, looking like he’d cry if he heard the word “father” one more time, all hunched shoulders and gripped hands, made me shrink up inside.

From "Worth" by A. LaFaye

QCDs during those pre-RMD years are quietly one of the best moves available, because every dollar you move out of your account shrinks the balance your future RMDs are calculated on.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

And foreign workers could help fill labour shortages as the working-age population shrinks.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

In this way it shrinks both superficial and distant tumors, with far fewer side effects than chemotherapy or radiation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Nevertheless, the claustrophobic framing shrinks an epic voyage into small-screen content made solely for a bored child to hold right up to their nose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

I wonder who Nyame shrinks in front of—if anyone.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

The occupations most exposed to AI’s reach shrank by 0.2% year over year in June, according to research from ADP and Stanford University.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

It shrank from roughly 44 to eight aircraft between 2002 and 2013, even as fire seasons lengthened and intensified.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

As continental shelves shrank, more phosphate entered the water.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 16, 2026

Medics were unable to completely remove her tumours but one shrank with radiotherapy.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

The parrot shrank as far from Cassiopeia’s reach as it could, its claws digging deep into the scalp of the protesting actor to whom it was attached.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

The workforce at Ruesselsheim has shrunk from a 1970s peak of around 42,000 employees to approximately 6,800 by the end of 2025.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

While International Monetary Fund data show that the dollar’s share of official foreign currency reserves has shrunk over the past 20 years, in more recent years, the process has flatlined.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

His reservoir of support, abroad and at home, has shrunk as the war has entered its sixth month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Reservoirs have also shrunk, including the Walthamstow Wetlands.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

His stomach felt like it had shrunk to the size of a gumdrop.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Satellite images examined by BBC Verify show shrunken glaciers, scorched areas left by wildfires, green fields turned arid and lower river levels.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

According to De la Vega, she finds the shrunken books more approachable.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026

Outside, freshly laid parking lots sit mostly empty while a single, shrunken shift of workers comes and goes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026

Buffett liked the monopoly status of newspapers, which has been largely destroyed over the past 20 years, leaving the industry greatly shrunken and far less profitable.

From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026

His eyes were dull, with the pupils shrunken, and the skin of his neck hung in yellow, pulpy folds.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

The vineyard's harvests have already been shrinking over the years, dropping to around 5,000 litres -- enough for about 40,000 bottles -- compared to around 6,000 litres in the past.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The deep snows encountered 20 years ago are becoming rarer and Greater Prespa Lake is shrinking.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Consumer demand is shrinking because boomers — the industry’s biggest fans — are aging out of the wine market.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

For four straight months, the share of loans to subprime borrowers has been shrinking — even though it’s up year over year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

I suddenly felt very small, as if my skin was tightening and I was actually shrinking.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

Related Words

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