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decrease

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb decrease differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of decrease are abate, diminish, dwindle, lessen, and reduce. While all these words mean "to grow or make less," decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

When would abate be a good substitute for decrease?

The meanings of abate and decrease largely overlap; however, abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

When could diminish be used to replace decrease?

While the synonyms diminish and decrease are close in meaning, diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

When can dwindle be used instead of decrease?

Although the words dwindle and decrease have much in common, dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

When is it sensible to use lessen instead of decrease?

The words lessen and decrease can be used in similar contexts, but lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

When might reduce be a better fit than decrease?

While in some cases nearly identical to decrease, reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decrease
Verb
Holland shares that the frequent temperature fluctuations of the door opening and closing will decrease the shelf-life of your eggs. Logan Holland, People.com, 5 July 2025 While those crimes decreased by 17% citywide, the number and types of property crimes that were reported fluctuated widely — people stealing from cars dropped by 33%, but other thefts increased by 10%. Katie Langford, Denver Post, 5 July 2025
Noun
Dividend net changes – that is, increases minus decreases – for U.S. domestic common stocks rose $7.4 billion in the second quarter of this year. Sarah Min, CNBC, 7 July 2025 Maximum sustained winds are at about 35 mph, the center said, a decrease from 40-50 mph winds in early Sunday and late Saturday reports. Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 6 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for decrease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decrease
Verb
  • This, together with a higher standard deduction, reduced the number of taxpayers who itemize deductions.
    Martin Shenkman, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
  • Choose looser fits that reduce the pressure on your hair follicles.
    Mark Gurarie, Health, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • The best wrinkle creams on Amazon prove that drugstore prices don't diminish efficacy.
    Kiana Murden, Vogue, 8 July 2025
  • The Commanders’ potential move back to D.C. would also pull the team out of Landover, further diminishing Maryland’s stake in professional sports and federal investments.
    Heather Hunter, The Washington Examiner, 7 July 2025
Noun
  • Noninvasive fat reduction procedures are down 40%, the data equivalent of a free fall.
    Jolene Edgar, Allure, 11 July 2025
  • Average premiums may rise 75% The average marketplace enrollee saved $705 in 2024 — a 44% reduction in premium costs — because of the enhanced tax credits, according to a November analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute.
    Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • The excitement over Tesla’s robotaxi launch is subsiding as fewer social media videos are posted.
    Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 2 July 2025
  • Investors have cheered as stocks have swiftly recovered to fresh highs and volatility has subsided.
    John Towfighi, CNN Money, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • The condition leads to a decline in the ability to independently function, think and reason.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2025
  • Policy journals brim with articles about American decline and the advent of multipolarity.
    Hal Brands, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • Partner that with another warning sign: A declining ratio of U.S. exports to imports while the U.S. deficit increases into record territory – like trade falling two months in a row, atypical since the former tends to remain steady even as the deficit increases.
    Ken Roberts, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
  • As 2024 began, demand for electricity on the national grid started falling—not because the economy was in decline but because (as careful scrutiny of images on Google Earth revealed) so many Pakistanis were putting up solar panels.
    Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • Both phones use Samsung’s Enhanced Armor Aluminium frame and take advantage of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to protect the display from drops and scratches.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 11 July 2025
  • The drop was even starker among Republicans, with that change from 88 to 48 percent — nearly cut in half — in the space of a year.
    Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • Even if paroled in Washington, California has active murder charges pending, Pack explained, working to ease concerns for those who are worried about public safety if he is paroled.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 9 July 2025
  • The city would also have to implement measures to fast-track developments with affordable housing in more affluent, majority-white neighborhoods by easing zoning restrictions and approvals, per the agreement, sources who were privy to the negotiations said.
    Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decrease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decrease. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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