decrease

1 of 2

verb

de·​crease di-ˈkrēs  ˈdē-ˌkrēs 

decreased; decreasing

intransitive verb

: to grow progressively less (as in size, amount, number, or intensity)

Yearly sales decreased by five percent.

His little remaining strength had been decreasing rapidly for two or three days preceding …

—Charles Dickens

transitive verb

: to cause to decrease

decrease the risk of heart disease

trying to decrease our use of fossil fuels

decreasingly

di-ˈkrē-siŋ-lē 

dē-

adverb

decrease

2 of 2

noun

de·​crease ˈdē-ˌkrēs  di-ˈkrēs 

1

: the process of growing progressively less (as in size, amount, number, or intensity) : the process of decreasing

a decrease in productivity

2

: an amount of diminution : reduction

a decrease of 20,000

saw a 20% decrease in violent crime

Synonyms

Verb

• abate
• de-escalate
• dent
• deplete
• diminish
• downscale
• downsize
• drop
• dwindle
• ease
• knock down
• lessen
• lower
• reduce

Noun

• abatement
• decline
• decrement
• dent
• depletion
• depression
• diminishment
• diminution
• drop
• drop-off
• fall
• falloff
• loss
• reduction
• shrinkage
• step-down

Choose the Right Synonym for decrease

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less.

decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

Examples of decrease in a Sentence

Verb

Sales decreased by five percent this year.

The driver decreased her speed as she approached the curve.

These changes will decrease our expenses.

Noun

Studies report a recent decrease in traffic accidents.

Because of the injury, some decrease in mobility is to be expected.

a decrease of three dollars

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Vehicle speed — When a vehicle’s speed increases, the tire-traction grip and ability to control the vehicle decreases. —Star-Telegram Bot, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2024

Shower within two hours of coming inside: This has been shown to decrease the risk of illness from ticks. —Jessica Migala, Health, 28 Apr. 2024

The design applies a gentle and consistent pressure that helps to decrease anxiety, according to the brand. —Megan Schaltegger, Peoplemag, 27 Apr. 2024

But climate change could also decrease the frequency of days where one or two tornadoes crop up. —Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024

Hayfield's enrollment decreased this year because the school could no longer serve students in first through fifth grade due to an elementary teacher resigning after the previous school year, Abell said. —Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 26 Apr. 2024

Poverty has decreased since the start of democracy. —John Eligon, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2024

The tornado threat will decrease but not dissipate on Sunday, with storms expected to redevelop from Texas to Missouri to Illinois in the afternoon and evening. —Max Golembo, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2024

Imax’s Technology Products and Services revenue decreased 16% to $43 million in the period, reflecting lower system renewals and mix of fewer sale-hybrid installations, according to the company. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024

Noun

Miami-Dade County’s public hospital system is going through its toughest financial hurdles in over a decade, following a decrease in transplant and other surgeries and a slowdown in payments, according to Jackson Health CEO Carlos Migoya. —Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

This is a woman who is still working, at the top of her game, and feels some pressure to still look her best, but is seeing fairly dramatic changes in her skin because of estrogen loss and the subsequent decrease in collagen. —Genevieve Monsma, Vogue, 11 Apr. 2024

The slight decrease, however, came amid a nearly 8% surge in flyers. —S. Dev, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024

This year, the department withheld the usual 10% as a baseline, then subtracted another 7% to adjust for the decrease in relative poverty. —Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 10 Apr. 2024

Similarly, in Denmark, the recession towards the end of 2023 appears to have contributed to a decrease in job openings. —Miglė Petrauskaitė, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024

In South Carolina, there was a 70% decrease in abortions just one month after the state enforced a six-week limit. —Deidre McPhillips, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

This March, the year-on-year rise was 1.7 percent, according to France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies — a significant decrease from a high of 15.9 percent in March 2023. —Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024

Speaking of emissions, the EIA predicts a tiny decrease in overall U.S. emissions, from all energy sources, of 0.4% this year compared to 2023 and a 3% decrease compared to 2022. —The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English decreessen, from Anglo-French decrestre, from Latin decrescere, from de- + crescere to grow — more at crescent

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing decrease

• on the decrease

Kids Definition

decrease

1 of 2 verb

de·​crease di-ˈkrēs  ˈdē-ˌkrēs 

decreased; decreasing

: to make or become smaller

decrease speed

decrease 6 by 2

decrease

2 of 2 noun

de·​crease ˈdē-ˌkrēs  di-ˈkrēs 

1

: a process of decreasing

a decrease in accidents

2

: the amount by which a thing decreases

a decrease of three dollars