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Meaning of DECREASE

Pronunciation:  [n]'deekrees, [v]di'krees, di'krees

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. [n]  the act of decreasing or reducing something
  2. [n]  the amount by which something decreases
  3. [n]  a change downward; "there was a sharp drop-off in sales"
  4. [n]  a process of becoming smaller or shorter
  5. [v]  decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fall to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
  6. [v]  make smaller; "He decreased his staff"
 
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 Synonyms: decrement, decrement, diminish, diminution, drop-off, fall, lessen, lessening, minify, reduction, step-down
 
 Antonyms: growth, increase, increase, increase, increase, increase, increment, increment, step-up
 
 See Also: abate, abbreviate, abridge, alleviation, alter, alteration, amortisation, amortization, amount, attrition, belittle, boil down, break, bring down, casualty, change, change, change magnitude, change of magnitude, circumscribe, concentrate, confine, contract, cut, cut, cut back, cut down, cutback, decay, declassification, decline, decline, decoct, decrescendo, deduction, de-escalate, de-escalation, deflate, deflation, depletion, depreciate, depreciation, desensitisation, desensitization, devaluate, devaluation, devalue, devitalisation, devitalization, die away, diminution, discount, drop, drop off, dwindle, dwindle away, dwindle down, dwindling, dwindling away, ease off, ease up, easement, easing, extenuation, fall, flag, fly, foreshorten, free fall, go down, let up, limit, lour, lower, lowering, minimisation, minimise, minimization, minimize, mitigate, mitigation, moderation, modification, narrowing, palliation, pare, pare down, price reduction, process, reduce, relax, relief, reverse split, reverse stock split, rollback, shelter, shorten, shortening, shrink, shrinkage, shrinkage, shrinking, shrinking, shrivel, shrivel up, sinking, slack, slack off, slack up, slacken, slacken off, slake, slippage, split down, step down, subtraction, taper, tax credit, tax deduction, tax shelter, thin out, trim, trim back, trim down, turn down, undervalue, vanish, wane, waning, wastage, weaken, weakening, wither

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. \De*crease"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Decreased}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Decreasing}.] [OE. decrecen, fr. OF. decreistre, F.
d['e]cro[^i]tre, or from the OF. noun (see {Decrease}, n.),
fr. L. decrescere to grow less; de + crescere to grow. See
{Crescent}, and cf. {Increase}.]
To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished
gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc., or in
strength, quality, or excellence; as, they days decrease in
length from June to December.
      He must increase, but I must decrease.   --John iii.
                                               30.
Syn: To {Decrease}, {Diminish}.
Usage: Things usually decrease or fall off by degrees, and
       from within, or through some cause which is
       imperceptible; as, the flood decreases; the cold
       decreases; their affection has decreased. Things
       commonly diminish by an influence from without, or one
       which is apparent; as, the army was diminished by
       disease; his property is diminishing through
       extravagance; their affection has diminished since
       their separation their separation. The turn of
       thought, however, is often such that these words may
       be interchanged.
             The olive leaf, which certainly them told The
             flood decreased.                  --Drayton.
             Crete's ample fields diminish to our eye; Before
             the Boreal blasts the vessels fly. --Pope.

  2. \De*crease"\, v. t.
To cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as,
extravagance decreases one's means.
      That might decrease their present store. --Prior.

  3. \De*crease"\, n. [OE. decrees, OF. decreis, fr.
decreistre. See {Decrease}, v.]
1. A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease
   of revenue or of strength.
2. The wane of the moon. --Bacon.
 
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Thesaurus Terms
 
 Related Terms: abate, abatement, abbreviate, abbreviation, ablate, ablation, abrade, abridge, abstract, allay, alleviate, apportion, astriction, astringency, attrition, bate, be eaten away, bottleneck, calibrate, calibrated, cervix, circumscribe, circumscription, clip, close, coarct, coarctation, compact, compactedness, compaction, compress, compression, compressure, concentrate, concentration, condensation, condense, consolidate, consolidation, constrict, constriction, constringe, constringency, consume, consume away, consumption, contract, contraction, contracture, corrode, count, cramp, crumble, curtail, curtailment, cut, cut back, cut down, cutting, damp, dampen, decline, decrement, deduct, de-escalate, de-escalation, deflate, deliquesce, deplete, depletion, depreciate, depreciation, depress, derogate, derogation, detract, detraction, die away, differentiate, diminish, diminuendo, diminution, dip, disparage, disparagement, dissipate, dissipation, dive, divide, downgrade, drain, draw, draw in, draw together, dribble away, drop, drop off, dwindle, dwindling, ease, ease off, ease up, eat away, ebb, erode, erosion, evaporation, exhaustion, expenditure, extract, extraction, fall, fall away, fall off, falling off, file away, fix, gradational, grade, gradual, graduate, graduated, hierarchic, hourglass, hourglass figure, impair, impairment, impoverishment, increase, isthmus, knit, knitting, languish, leach, leakage, lessen, lessening, let up, lighten, lower, lowering, measure, melt away, mitigate, narrow, narrow place, narrowing, neck, number, parcel, pare, peter out, plummet, plunge, progressive, pucker, pucker up, puckering, purify, purse, pursing, quantify, quantize, rate, rebate, recede, reduce, reduction, refine, regular, remission, remove, retraction, retrench, retrenchment, roll back, rub away, run low, sag, scalar, scale down, shade off, shorten, shortening, shrink, shrinkage, shrinking, shrivel up, simplify, sink, slacken, slackening, solidification, solidify, squander, step down, strangle, stranglement, strangulate, strangulation, striction, stricture, subduct, subside, subsidence, subtract, systole, tail off, take away, take from, taper, taper off, thin, thin out, trim, truncation, tune down, using, using up, wane, wasp waist, wastage, waste, waste away, wear, wear away, wearing, wearing away, weed, withdraw, wrinkle, wrinkling
 

 

 

 

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