v. /di krees"/ ; n. /dee"krees, di krees"/ , v. , decreased, decreasing , n.
v.i.
1. to diminish or lessen in extent, quantity, strength, power, etc.: During the ten-day march across the desert their supply of water decreased rapidly.
v.t.
2. to make less; cause to diminish: to decrease one's work load.
n.
3. the act or process of decreasing; condition of being decreased; gradual reduction: a decrease in sales; a decrease in intensity.
4. the amount by which a thing is lessened: The decrease in sales was almost 20 percent.
[ 1350-1400; ME decres (n.), decresen (v.) decreiss-, long s. of decreistre decrescere ( de- DE- + crescere to grow); see CRESCENT ]
Syn. 1. wane, lessen, fall off, decline, contract, abate. DECREASE, DIMINISH, DWINDLE, SHRINK imply becoming smaller or less in amount. DECREASE commonly implies a sustained reduction in stages, esp. of bulk, size, volume, or quantity, often from some imperceptible cause or inherent process: The swelling decreased daily. DIMINISH usually implies the action of some external cause that keeps taking away: Disease caused the number of troops to diminish steadily.
DWINDLE implies an undesirable reduction by degrees, resulting in attenuation: His followers dwindled to a mere handful. SHRINK esp. implies contraction through an inherent property under specific conditions: Many fabrics shrink in hot water. 3. abatement, decline, subsidence, shrinking, dwindling, ebbing.
Ant. 1. increase, expand.