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

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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”

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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

"I know what it feels like when pain starts to shrink your world," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

But cities and towns can shrink that figure: In Houston, for instance, real-estate developers can build on parcels as small as 1,400 square feet.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Climate change threatens to shrink the amount of water they can reliably deliver over the next 20 years, state officials have warned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

She said the debt markets are "looking for a signal that there is a medium-term fiscal consolidation plan" and "clarity that over time the debt would shrink".

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

A braying donkey rounded the corner, its owner in tow, causing the family to shrink against the building, trying to disappear into the shadows.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Student loans, utilities, a car payment or credit-card balance shrinks that number even further.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

It was also associated with less enlargement of the brain's ventricles, fluid filled spaces that tend to grow as brain tissue shrinks.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

The boarding becomes more frantic as the window of opportunity shrinks.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

These combined Olympic experiences — an event ticket paired with upgrades in access and perks — have become more tempting for many as the number of Olympic seats shrinks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Because Thanksgiving was going to happen while we were doing surface operations, and NASA's shrinks thought it would be good for us to make a meal together.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

But she said the production and construction sectors shrank over the three-month period.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Meanwhile, the information sector shrank by 10,000 jobs in September.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

American Eagle Outfitters said it is still trying to reignite its core brand after merchandise margins shrank in the second quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

South Africa's economy shrank in the second quarter of 2026, snapping a nearly two-year growth streak as the war in Iran weighed on domestic demand, the national statistics agency said Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Llewelyn even shrank back, but only for a moment.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Sales are down sharply and car-rental companies like Hertz that bet big on them have dramatically shrunk their EV fleets due to lackluster demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

But that gap had shrunk to a solitary point by the time the drivers lined up for the last of 17 stages, bringing back painful memories of previous narrow misses for Evans.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

They have shrunk by nearly 20% in the past five years, according to data released today.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

As temperatures rise, Arctic sea ice has shrunk by nearly half a million square kilometres per decade since 1979, equivalent to losing an area the size of Spain every 10 years.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Like someone had come in during the day and shrunk all the furniture just a tiny bit.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

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

The reel was shrunken through age and frayed, but otherwise in remarkable condition for something stashed in sun-heated attics for years.

From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 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

But rebuilding agencies that have been radically shrunken would take much longer than cutting them down, the scholars said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2025

It was only his appearance that was a little altered; his hide was less shiny than it had used to be, and his great haunches seemed to have shrunken.

From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell

Japan has registered a record number of foreigners living in the country this year despite growing anti-immigration sentiment, as the country grapples with problems caused by an ageing and shrinking population.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

"With Japan's population shrinking by more than 900,000 a year... we have no choice but to rely on foreign workers," said Menju, a visiting professor at the Kansai University of International Studies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

As a result, Antarctic sea ice generally reaches its largest extent in September before shrinking to its annual minimum in February.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

European automakers have been grappling with a shrinking auto market in China coupled with intense competition that has sparked a prolonged price war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

It was hard to focus, and harder to sit still; I felt like I was shrinking, trying to fade back into the seat and disappear completely.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

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Related Words

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

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