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

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

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

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence have been matched by an astonishing decline in student learning.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The smart money will be on Root to come out of his funk, rather than this being the start of a late-career decline.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Gene activity also revealed improvements in several biological features associated with aging, including reduced inflammation and less decline in the body's ability to repair and regenerate tissue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

Its population hit a peak in 2020 and is projected to be 58% lower at the end of this century — even a bigger decline in percentage terms than in the case of China.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Again, to these 8,000 people only, letters are sent concerning the index’s performance the following week: 4,000 predicting a rise; 4,000, a decline.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

The prospect has rattled a region already reeling from steep declines in film production, heavy job losses, empty soundstages and shuttered small businesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Construction and retail stocks are leading the declines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Trusts with the sharpest declines in performance - including Buckinghamshire Healthcare, University Hospitals Dorset, Milton Keynes University Hospital, East Cheshire, and Torbay and South Devon - told the BBC they face pressures across the board.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

A treatment capable of improving both bone and muscle strength could be especially relevant for older adults, who often experience declines in both tissues at the same time.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026

And Mrs. Baransky is laughing her easygoing laugh as she politely declines his offer of chocolate coins, then turns to our mother with a reassuring smile.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

A UK government spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing US investigation, but said Britain expected foreign diplomats to obey the law.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Aided by tailwinds from fiscal policy and relative peace, debt declined as a share of GDP to 32% in 2001 from 48% in 1995.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

The economy of the state, with 3 million inhabitants and significant corn and tomato crops, has declined due to the violence.

From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026

In an advisory notice saying the outbreak was over, the CDC said cases had "significantly declined", and it was continuing to investigate the cause of the infection.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Meantime the moon declined: she was about to set.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Carney was asked Thursday about the prospect of Canada joining the EU and delivered what he termed a "non-answer," declining to rule out the idea or endorse it.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Nor has any published research addressed the connection between recent ectopic pregnancy death rates and untreated infections like gonorrhea and chlamydia, which increased substantially during the first years of the pandemic before declining again.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

The reversal came on the back of declining oil prices, even as Brent remained above $105 a barrel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Bumblebee Conservation Trust raised concerns that 2026 may exacerbate a declining trend in bumblebee populations as flowers wither and bees fail to forage effectively.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026

“Show attendance will continue declining, and, with it, my profit margins. On top of that, the Kuhani and his committee of curmudgeons have denied my request for financial aid...”

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

Related Words

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