dwindle Definition
dwin·dle (dwin′dəl)
intransitive verb, transitive verb -·dled, -·dling
to keep on becoming or making smaller or less; diminish; shrink
Etymology: freq. of obs. dwine, to languish, fade < ME dwinen < OE dwīnan, akin to ON dvína < IE base *dheu-: see die
dwindle Synonyms
dwindle Usage Examples
Object
- congregation: The bad comes at Bodmin Methodist Church, where the aging and dwindling congregation faced a similar problem with a huge historic building.
- stock: I was going out with a dwindling stock of friends at the time.
- reserve: Dwindling reserves British Gas, which is part of the Centrica group, warned in June that prices may have to rise.
- supply: Colin rations out the dwindling tinny supply in a non stopping fashion!
- attendance: But on the subject of the Bluebirds ' dwindling attendances he admits he does not have all the answers.
- population: Introductions are not the solution to dwindling butterfly populations.
Preposition: at
rate: The customer base which is dwindling at a fast rate.
Preposition: over
year: The UKCA members support has dwindled over the last year.
Preposition: into
insignificance: Compared with rolling back these unacceptable aspects of New Labor, most other policy problems dwindle into insignificance.
Modifying Another Word
- rapidly: In addition, it had used up a large proportion of Germany's rapidly dwindling fuel reserves.
- steadily: A steadily dwindling minority still speak Spanish, which had at one time been an official language.
- gradually: The parent group gradually dwindled away in a series of obscure splits.
- considerably: Academic attention to this issue, however, has considerably dwindled.
- slowly: With this beam dwindling slowly in my rear view mirror at the weekend, I drove off to find the World Cup.
- away: All things German dwindled away during the two world wars.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- down: The large majority with which they started has dwindled down to a measuring cast.
- away: The parent group gradually dwindled away in a series of obscure splits.
Used with why or when
when: But his support began to dwindle when his discourse became more left-leaning and he began attacking what he calls the " rancid oligarchy " .
Preposition: in

