decline

American  

[dih-klahyn] / dɪˈklaɪn /

verb (used with object)

• declines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• declined,
  past participle,  past
• declining
  present participle

1. 

   to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse.

   He declined to say more about it.

   Synonyms:

   reject

2. to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy.

   to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.

3. to cause to slope or incline downward.

4. Grammar.

   1. to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.

   2. to recite or display all or some subset of the inflected forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a fixed order.

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verb (used without object)

• declines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• declined,
  past participle,  past
• declining
  present participle

1. to express courteous refusal; refuse.

   We sent him an invitation but he declined.

2. to bend or slant down; slope downward; descend.

   The hill declines to the lake.

   Antonyms:

   rise

3. (of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path.

   The sun declined in the skies.

4. to draw toward the close, as the day.

5. to fail in strength, vigor, character, value, etc.; deteriorate.

   Synonyms:

   languish, diminish, weaken, decay, degenerate

   Antonyms:

   improve

6. to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away.

   to decline in popularity.

7. to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.

8. Grammar. to be characterized by declension.

noun

• declines
  plural

1. a downward slope; declivity.

   Synonyms:

   hill

2. a downward movement, as of prices or population; diminution.

   a decline in the stock market.

3. a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration.

   the decline of the Roman Empire.

   Synonyms:

   enfeeblement, degeneration, retrogression

4. a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease.

   After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.

5. progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.

6. the later years or last part.

   He became an editor in the decline of his life.

decline British  

/ dɪˈklaɪn /

verb

1. to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely

2. (intr) to grow smaller; diminish

   demand has declined over the years

3. to slope or cause to slope downwards

4. (intr) to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character

5. grammar to state or list the inflections of (a noun, adjective, or pronoun), or (of a noun, adjective, or pronoun) to be inflected for number, case, or gender Compare conjugate

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noun

1. gradual deterioration or loss

2. a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution

3. a downward slope; declivity

4. archaic any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis

Synonym Usage

See refuse ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• decliner
  noun
• redecline
  verb
• predecline
  verb (used with object)
• declinable
  adjective
• undeclined
  adjective
• undeclining
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• declines
  plural

Participles

• declining
  present
• declined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• decline
  simple
• declines
  simple
• have declined
  perfect
• has declined
  perfect
• am declining
  progressive
• are declining
  progressive
• is declining
  progressive
• have been declining
  perfect progressive
• has been declining
  perfect progressive

Past

• declined
  simple
• had declined
  perfect
• was declining
  progressive
• were declining
  progressive
• had been declining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will decline
  simple
• will have declined
  perfect
• will be declining
  progressive
• will have been declining
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of decline

First recorded in 1275–1325; (verb) Middle English declinen, from Old French: “to inflect, turn aside, sink,” from Latin dēclīnāre “to slope, incline, bend”; compare Greek klī́nein “to lean” ( see lean ¹); (noun) Middle English declin, from Old French, derivative of decliner

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Explanation

When something declines, it goes downhill. If you stop working out, your health may decline. If you want it to improve, you should start climbing inclines instead of coasting down declines. The verb decline means refuse to accept, but the noun decline means a downward slope (the opposite of an incline), or a decrease in quality. At the gym, the treadmill has an incline button to control how steep your climb is. Sadly, there's no button for decline, which would be much easier. Both words contain cline, or "to bend." The prefix tells you which way the bend goes. Decline implies a going, or turning, down.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

decline declines declined declining

That additional volume helped partly offset a roughly 970,000-ton decline in exports from the United Arab Emirates, which is home to one of the biggest aluminum producers globally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

A study published in the journal Nature last week found that, by 2020, nearly half of coral species were at "elevated relative risk of extinction", with climate change the main driver of this decline.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

The £100m training ground is one of the best in the country - with a herb garden and golf course - but has been seen as part of the problem over the decline in standards.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Blackstone’s net realizations, which reflect proceeds from sales of assets, fell 34% from a year prior, led by a 49% decline in its private equity division.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

“I’m not going to argue with you. You will decline the offer to that school, since you didn’t have my permission to apply in the first place.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

During the first two weeks in space, researchers observed declines in cardiac filling, stroke volume, and several other measures of cardiovascular performance.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

He rarely grants interviews and declines to be photographed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Young families, renters and households without high-school diplomas saw declines in their net worth from 2022 to 2025, according to the Fed’s research.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Pressure on mining margins could limit further price declines, Industrial Futures analysts say in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The results of repeated spraying are clearly seen in other streams of the watershed, where alarming declines in the salmon populations are occurring.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Lancashire Constabulary declined to comment, citing an ongoing complaints process.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Haney declined to detail what that evidence was.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Shares declined 7% to $79 in after-hours trading.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the announcement about the package.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

When the Lambert police finally declined to press charges against the Allens?

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

But support for the idea has been declining for years.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Champagne winegrowers said Thursday they were dropping a 23-year-old study into expanding the area that can produce France's most famous fizz due to climate change, declining consumption and economic uncertainty.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Wage growth in the U.K. rose a little in the three months through August, with unemployment also declining, boosting the likelihood that the Bank of England will raise its key rate next month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

While declining to endorse Bass, Caruso commended the mayor by saying “she’s done her work, and she’s worked with the team, and I compliment this.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Wal-Mart is booming; unions are declining: judge for yourself.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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Related Words

• decrease
• depreciate
• deteriorate
• diminish
• drop
• dwindle
• fail
• fall
• lower
• recede
• return
• sag
• shrink
• sink
• slide
• wane
• weaken
• worsen

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