shrink

[ shringk ]

/ ʃrɪŋk /

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See synonyms for: shrink / shrank / shrinking / shrunken on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), shrank

[shrangk] /ʃræŋk/ or, often, shrunk

[shruhngk]; /ʃrʌŋk/; shrunk or shrunk·en

[shruhng-kuhn]; /ˈʃrʌŋ kən/; shrink·ing.

to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance: to shrink from danger; to shrink from contact.

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.

to become reduced in extent or scope.

verb (used with object), shrank

[shrangk] /ʃræŋk/ or, often, shrunk

[shruhngk]; /ʃrʌŋk/; shrunk or shrunk·en

[shruhng-kuhn]; /ˈʃrʌŋ kən/; shrink·ing.

to cause to shrink or contract; reduce.

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

noun

an act or instance of shrinking.

a shrinking movement.

shrinkage.

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

OTHER WORDS FOR shrink

1 withdraw, recoil, quail.

See synonyms for shrink on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR shrink

3 increase.

See antonyms for shrink on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of shrink

First recorded before 900, and in 1955–60 for def. 9; Middle English schrinken, Old English scrincan; cognate with Middle Dutch schrinken, Swedish skrynka “to shrink,” Norwegian skrukka “old shrunken woman”

synonym study for shrink

1. See wince¹. 3. See decrease.

OTHER WORDS FROM shrink

shrink·a·ble, adjectiveshrink·ing·ly, adverbnon·shrink·a·ble, adjectivenon·shrink·ing, adjective

non·shrink·ing·ly, adverbo·ver·shrink, verb, o·ver·shrank or, often, o·ver·shrunk; o·ver·shrunk or o·ver·shrunk·en; o·ver·shrink·ing.un·shrink·a·ble, adjectiveun·shrink·ing, adjectiveun·shrink·ing·ly, adverb

How to use shrink in a sentence

My shrink says we don’t get what we want, we get what we think we deserve.
Sarah Silverman just wants to make things right|Geoff Edgers|February 4, 2021|Washington Post
Grocery bags and shrink wrap are too flimsy, prone to getting tangled up with other materials on a conveyor belt.
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills|Maria Temming|January 27, 2021|Science News
The FAST services are unlikely to see their ad revenue shrink this year, but their ad revenue growth may slow and their share of streaming ad dollars may narrow as more of the new money moving into streaming goes to the likes of Hulu and HBO Max.
Future of TV Briefing: The ad-supported streaming war officially kicks off in 2021|Tim Peterson|January 13, 2021|Digiday
Not surprising, now that we paid more attention to it, we’re reducing our shrink pretty much in all those areas.
How to Succeed by Being Authentic (Hint: Carefully) (Ep. 438)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 5, 2020|Freakonomics

Reducing shrink is of course one way to drive down costs, and driving down costs is a basic tenet of the Amazon business model.
How to Succeed by Being Authentic (Hint: Carefully) (Ep. 438)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 5, 2020|Freakonomics
For days, the ruble has been falling and salaries shrinking; shoppers have rushed to snap up TV sets and washing machines.
After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug|Anna Nemtsova|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Wynd said the shrinking process includes filling the head with hot sand and boiling it with herbs.
Dodo Bones and Kylie’s Poo: Inside London’s Strangest New Museum|Liza Foreman|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the first time in American history, rural areas are shrinking.
Andrew Cuomo Ignores Rural New York|David Fontana|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The already-tiny group of volunteers and health-care workers in West Africa is shrinking.
Doctors Without Borders Hits Ebola Breaking Point|Abby Haglage, Kent Sepkowitz|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shrinking ad revenue in the digital era has caused outlets to scale back on everything.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We were shown how the bowl or vase was burned, shrinking to nearly half its size in the process.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
Ida sat down gasping, when her companion stopped, and gazed with an instinctive shrinking into the gulf below.
The Gold Trail|Harold Bindloss
What had it all come to—the long pain, the persistent shrinking from this man, whom God alone might judge?
David Fleming's Forgiveness|Margaret Murray Robertson
She hangs back, shrinking, for a moment, when ordered into the coach with the dead body of her partner in guilt.
The Fatal Dowry|Philip Massinger
The old miser's face changed suddenly from rage and malevolence to a leering softness more hateful still to her shrinking eyes.
They Looked and Loved|Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller

British Dictionary definitions for shrink

shrink

/ (ʃrɪŋk) /

verb shrinks, shrinking, shrank, shrunk, shrunk or shrunken

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

to become or cause to become smaller in size

(intr often foll by from)

to recoil or withdrawto shrink from the sight of blood
to feel great reluctance (at)to shrink from killing an animal

noun

the act or an instance of shrinking

slang a psychiatrist

Derived forms of shrink

shrinkable, adjectiveshrinker, nounshrinking, adjectiveshrinkingly, adverb

Word Origin for shrink

Old English scrincan; related to Old Norse skrokkr torso, Old Swedish skrunkin wrinkled, Old Norse hrukka a crease, Icelandic skrukka wrinkled woman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

shrink

OTHER WORDS FOR shrink

OPPOSITES FOR shrink

Origin of shrink

synonym study for shrink

OTHER WORDS FROM shrink

Words related to shrink

How to use shrink in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shrink

Derived forms of shrink

Word Origin for shrink