decrease

¹de·crease

verb \di-ˈkrēs, ˈdē-ˌ\

de·creasedde·creas·ing

Definition of DECREASE

intransitive verb

: to grow progressively less (as in size, amount, number, or intensity)

transitive verb

: to cause to decrease

— de·creas·ing·ly \di-ˈkrē-siŋ-lē, dē-\ adverb

Examples of DECREASE

1. Sales decreased by five percent this year.
2. The driver decreased her speed as she approached the curve.
3. These changes will decrease our expenses.

Origin of DECREASE

Middle English decreessen, from Anglo-French decrestre, from Latin decrescere, from de- + crescere to grow — more at crescent

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to DECREASE

Synonyms: abate, de-escalate, dent, deplete, diminish, downscale, downsize, drop, dwindle, ease, knock down, lessen, lower, reduce

Antonyms: aggrandize, amplify, augment, boost, enlarge, escalate, expand, increase, raise

Related Words: compress, condense, constrict, contract; abbreviate, abridge, clip, crop, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, dock, nick, pare, prune, retrench, shorten, slash, trim, truncate, whittle; deflate, shrink; minimize; moderate, modify, modulate, qualify

Near Antonyms: blow up, dilate, distend, inflate, swell; elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract; add (to), complement, supplement; enhance, heighten, intensify; redouble

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Synonym Discussion of DECREASE

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less. decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity <slowly decreased the amount of pressure>. lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number <has been unable to lessen her debt>. diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total <his visual acuity has diminished>. reduce implies a bringing down or lowering <you must reduce your caloric intake>. abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount <the storm abated>. dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller <their provisions dwindled slowly>.

Other Mathematics and Statistics Terms

abscissa, denominator, divisor, equilateral, exponent, hypotenuse, logarithm, oblique, radii, rhomb