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shrink Definition

shrink (s̸hriŋk)

intransitive verb shrank or shrunk, shrunk or shrunken, shrink·ing

  1. to become or seem to become smaller, more compact, etc.; contract, as from heat, cold, moisture, etc.
  2. to lessen, as in amount, worth, etc.
  3. to draw back; turn away; cower, as from fear
  4. to hold back, as from taking action; hesitate or recoil to shrink from doing one's duty

Etymology: ME schrynken < OE scrincan, akin to Swed skrynka, to wrinkle < IE *(s)kreng- < base *(s)ker-, to bend, turn > shrimp, Gr kirkos, a ring, L curvus, curved

transitive verb

to cause to shrink or contract; specif., to cause (fabric) to shrink by a special process in manufacturing so as to minimize later shrinkage

noun

  1. a shrinking; shrinkage
  2. Etymology: < (head)shrink(er)

    Slang a psychiatrist

shrink Related Forms

shrink·able adjective

shrink Synonyms

shrink

v.

  1. To become smaller

    contract, shrivel, shorten, narrow; see contract 1.

  2. To recoil

    withdraw, blench, flinch, shy away; see recoil. See syn. study at contract.

shrink Usage Examples

Object

  • violet: Maureen, the shrinking violet, commands most of the laughs.
  • sleeving: Ensure the connections are well insulated with heat shrink sleeving as short circuits must be avoided.
  • wrap: Superintendent Paul Sims said: " The main cost savings have come from the removal of shrink wrap from the internal supply loop process.
  • wrapping: Examples might be shrink wrapping or plastic sheeting firmly covering the package or packages.
  • fibroid: This is only a temporary treatment, normally used to shrink the fibroids prior to surgery.
  • tumor: The aim of PDT for advanced cancer is usually to reduce symptoms by shrinking the tumor.

Modifying Another Word

  • magically: In an act of justice, the wizard ant Zoc magically shrinks Lucas to the size of an ant.
  • visibly: X looks at the offender, who visibly shrinks in size.
  • drastically: I've drastically shrunk the amount of code for this page, which should mean it'll load faster.
  • steadily: To further complicate matters, these formats have been steadily shrinking in size to make them more suitable for use inside handsets.
  • dramatically: The number of people working in the offline industry has shrunk dramatically over the past 20 years.
  • rapidly: In the last 5 years the majority were actually shrinking rapidly.

Followed by an intransitive particle

down: You have shrunk down to the size of a chip.

Used with why or when

when: So why are the churches shrinking when, someone might say, the fields are white unto harvest?

Infinitive complement

  • zero: For the distance to Andromeda will have shrunk to zero for the spacecraft.
  • fit: The bitmap is stretched or shrunk to fit the window.

Present participle complement

wrap: It makes your DVD case look like a shrink wrapped case without the need for shrink wrapping equipment!

Preposition: in

  • wash: The jumper which shrunk in the wash back to its usual size.
  • size: X looks at the offender, who visibly shrinks in size.

Preposition: by

percent: The dolls had immediately become the reality, and normal scale had magically shrunk by fifty percent.

Browse dictionary entries near shrink

  1. shrine
  2. shrimp plant
  3. shrimp
  4. shrill
  5. shrike
  6. shrift
  7. shrieve
  8. shrievalty
  9. shrieking
  10. shriek
  1. shrink-wrap
  2. shrinkage
  3. shrinking violet
  4. shrive
  5. shrivel
  6. shroff
  7. Shropshire
  8. shroud
  9. shroud-laid
  10. shrove