dwindle

verb

dwin·​dle ˈdwin-dᵊl 

dwindled; dwindling ˈdwin-(d)liŋ 

-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to become steadily less : shrink

Their savings dwindled to nothing.

a dwindling population

transitive verb

: to make steadily less

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for dwindle

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 dwindle in a Sentence

Our energy dwindled as the meeting dragged on.

The town's population is dwindling away.

Recent Examples on the Web

The designation, granted Thursday, is the latest in a long series of steps to try to protect the dwindling population of the desert creature, which biologists say is heading toward extinction. —Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024

The focus on labor unions, whose power in the workplace had dwindled for decades after peaking in the 1950s, comes amid an aggressive push by President Joe Biden to revive the role unions. —USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024

Drawing foreigners in can help boost local economies, particularly in smaller Italian towns where populations are dwindling as local residents age. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024

For years, the N.R.A. made liberal use of the foundation’s coffers to prop up its own dwindling fortunes. —Danny Hakim, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Yet, public sightings of Cruise with his daughter soon dwindled, with Page Six saying they were last seen together at Disney World in the summer of 2012. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024

Away from the front line, Ukraine’s dwindling air defense capabilities are showing vulnerabilities, as more Russian missiles and drones are able to hit targets such as critical infrastructure facilities. —Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2024

Still dwindling participation this year, is down to around 3,000. —John Hopewell, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

The temporary closures are coming after the spring break crowds have started to dwindle at the Anaheim resort, and most of the attractions are expected to reopen before the summer crowds begin to arrive, a spokesperson for the theme park said. —Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably frequentative of dwine to waste away, from Middle English, from Old English dwīnan; akin to Old Norse dvīna to pine away, deyja to die — more at die

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

dwindle

verb

dwin·​dle ˈdwin-dᵊl 

dwindled; dwindling ˈdwin-dliŋ 

-dᵊliŋ

: to make or become less