shrinkage
noun
shrink·age
ˈshriŋ-kij 
especially Southern ˈsriŋ-
1
: the act or process of shrinking
2
a
: the loss in weight of livestock during shipment and in the process of preparing the meat for consumption
b
: the loss of goods especially by theft
inventory shrinkage
3
: the amount lost by shrinkage
Synonyms
Examples of shrinkage in a Sentence
The shrinkage in contributions is significant.
a shrinkage of 10 percent
the shrinkage of the polar ice caps
Recent Examples on the Web
In the budget President Biden proposed for next year, the stockpile would receive $965 million, unchanged from 2023 figures and a vast shrinkage from emergency funding levels at the height of the pandemic.
—
Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 23 May 2024
Russell speculated that this family shrinkage could also be an effect of sky-high home prices and inflation, which may give young families second thoughts about having more children coupled with steep mortgage payments.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 20 May 2024
Opposition to the plan, dominated by concern over tree canopy shrinkage, has coalesced into a call for a more comprehensive environmental evaluation of the corridor’s infrastructure needs that, presumably, spares more boulevard trees.
—Jerome Johnson, Twin Cities, 16 May 2024
The French flax linen is very high quality, showing no signs of color fading, abrasion, pilling, or fabric shrinkage after washing.
—Deanne Revel, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2024
Plus, reviewers reported that there was no shrinkage or color fading after washing this garment a few times.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2024
The testers also expressed that the buttery smooth sheets are cool to the touch thanks to the viscose, and that even after multiple washes there weren’t loose threads or any shrinkage.
—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
The eurozone showed zero growth in the last three months of last year, following shrinkage of 0.1% in the quarter before that.
—David McHugh, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024
Though still soft and smooth, the material wasn’t as shiny and emerged mildly wrinkled with some shrinkage.
—Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2024
Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 23 May 2024
Russell speculated that this family shrinkage could also be an effect of sky-high home prices and inflation, which may give young families second thoughts about having more children coupled with steep mortgage payments.
—Nick Rosenberger, Idaho Statesman, 20 May 2024
Opposition to the plan, dominated by concern over tree canopy shrinkage, has coalesced into a call for a more comprehensive environmental evaluation of the corridor’s infrastructure needs that, presumably, spares more boulevard trees.
—Jerome Johnson, Twin Cities, 16 May 2024
The French flax linen is very high quality, showing no signs of color fading, abrasion, pilling, or fabric shrinkage after washing.
—Deanne Revel, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2024
Plus, reviewers reported that there was no shrinkage or color fading after washing this garment a few times.
—Alexandra Domrongchai, Travel + Leisure, 27 Apr. 2024
The testers also expressed that the buttery smooth sheets are cool to the touch thanks to the viscose, and that even after multiple washes there weren’t loose threads or any shrinkage.
—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
The eurozone showed zero growth in the last three months of last year, following shrinkage of 0.1% in the quarter before that.
—David McHugh, Fortune Europe, 1 Mar. 2024
Though still soft and smooth, the material wasn’t as shiny and emerged mildly wrinkled with some shrinkage.
—Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrinkage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shrinkage
Cite this Entry
“Shrinkage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrinkage. Accessed 27 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shrinkage
noun
shrink·age
ˈshriŋ-kij
: the amount by which something shrinks or becomes less
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