decrease Hear it!

decrease Definition

de·crease (dē krēs′, di-; also, & for n. usually, dē′krēs′)

intransitive verb, transitive verb -·creased′, -·creas′·ing

to become or cause to become less, smaller, etc.; diminish

Etymology: ME decresen < OFr decreistre < L decrescere < de-, from, away + crescere, grow: see crescent

noun

  1. a decreasing; lessening; diminution
  2. amount of decreasing

Etymology: ME decres

decrease Related Forms

de·creas·ingly adverb

decrease Idioms

on the decrease

decreasing

decrease Synonyms

decrease

n.

shrinkage, lessening, abatement; see contraction 1, discount, drop 2, reduction 1.

on the decrease

decreasing, declining, waning; see lessening.

decrease Synonyms

decrease

v.

  1. To grow less

    lessen, diminish, decline, abate, modify, wane, deteriorate, degenerate, dwindle, be consumed, sink, settle, lighten, slacken, ebb, lower, melt away, moderate, subside, shrink, contract, recede, shrivel up, depreciate, soften, quiet, narrow down, droop, waste, fade, fade away, run low, weaken, crumble, let up, dry up, slow down, calm down, burn away, burn down, smooth out, die away, die down, lose its edge, wither away, decay, drop off, taper off, tail off, devaluate, evaporate, fall down, fall away, fall off, slack off, wear off, wear away, wear out, wear down, wind down, rev down*, slump*; see also contract 1.

    Antonyms grow*, increase*, multiply. *

  2. To make less

    reduce, lessen, lower, check, curb, restrain, quell, tame, mollify, dampen, compose, hush, still, palliate, sober, pacify, allay, blunt, qualify, tranquilize, curtail, subtract, render less, abridge, abbreviate, downsize, condense, shorten, minimize, diminish, slash, attenuate, dilute, retrench, shave, pare, prune, truncate, deplete, abate, mitigate, modify, make brief, digest, limit, level, deflate, compress, contract, strip, thin, bleed, make smaller, devaluate, devalue, clip, abstract, summarize, epitomize, sum up, lighten, trim, rake off, level off, take from, take off, roll back, hold down, mark down, scale down, boil down, let up, cut off, cut down, cut short, cut back, strike off, deduct, knock off*; see also compress, contract 2.

    Antonyms increase*, expand*, augment.

decrease and dwindle suggest a growing gradually smaller in bulk, size, volume, or number, but dwindle emphasizes a marked wasting away to the point of disappearance his hopes decreased as his fortune dwindled away to nothing; lessen is equivalent to decrease, except that it does not imply any particular rate of decline his influence lessened overnight; diminish emphasizes subtraction from the whole by some external agent disease had diminished their ranks; reduce implies a lowering, or bringing down to reduce prices

decrease Usage Examples

Object

  • likelihood: Does the absence of clarity increase or decrease the likelihood of voting at all?
  • incidence: Dietary changes and exercise can significantly improve weight loss and decrease the incidence of diabetes.
  • libido: Adverse events were reported in 81 % of men, with 6 % reporting impotence and 6 % reporting decreased libido.
  • appetite: The most common side effects in children and adolescents were decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, tiredness and upset stomach.
  • secretion: Hypoparathyroidism is the name of a rare group of disorders where there is decreased secretion or activity of the parathyroid hormone in the body.
  • inflammation: Steroids work by decreasing inflammation and reducing the activity of the immune system.

Preposition: in

  • incidence: There has been a decrease in the incidence of whooping cough.
  • mortality: This has arisen due to the paucity of data on interventions that lead to a decrease in mortality or other significant cardiovascular disease end-points.
  • concentration: The resulting graph shows the rapid decrease in concentrations in the 1960s and 1970s and the more gradual decrease through the 1980s and 1990s.
  • abundance: Proceeding upward, each successive layer decreases in numerical abundance.
  • intensity: This was accompanied by significant decreases in the intensity of DL.

Adjective modifier

  • marked: There has been a marked decrease in anti-social behavior.
  • slight: Only the scenario group " block " reacts to the changes with a slight decrease of the negotiation quality.
  • gradual: The resulting graph shows the rapid decrease in concentrations in the 1960s and 1970s and the more gradual decrease through the 1980s and 1990s.
  • consequent: The consequent decrease in the cost of producing electricity, reduced specific fuel consumption and reduced environmental pollution promises great benefit to the community.
  • corresponding: H Be able to attribute this decrease in activity to a corresponding decrease in the number of unstable nuclei.
  • observed: The clinical relevance of this observed decrease in Immukin treated patients versus a control group could not be established.

Noun used with modifier

  • cent: This also brings me to your closing comment about the '37 per cent decrease in ESRC quota awards ' , which is also incorrect.
  • percent: However, the 2003 figure represents a 62 percent decrease from the 219 attacks recorded in 2001.
  • percentage: Would offer association quot hypothesis percentage point decrease to medicaid and.