shrink
[ shringk ]
/ ʃrɪŋk /
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verb (used without object), shrank [shrangk] /ʃræŋk/ or, often, shrunk [shruhngk]; /ʃrʌŋk/; shrunk or shrunk·en [shruhng-kuhn]; /ˈʃrʌŋ kən/; shrink·ing.
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
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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”
OTHER WORDS FROM shrink
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shrink in a sentence
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, adverbWord 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
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