decrease

verb

de·crease | \ di-ˈkrēs ,

ˈdē-ˌ

decreased; decreasing

Definition of decrease

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

decrease

noun

de·crease | \ ˈdē-ˌkrēs ,

di-ˈ

Definition of decrease (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from decrease Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about decrease

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Choose the Right Synonym for decrease

Verb

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

My average screen use barely decreased — to about three and a half hours a day. — New York Times, "I Used Apple’s New Controls to Limit a Teenager’s iPhone Time (and It Worked!)," 11 July 2018 Permits decreased 20 percent in the Fox Valley, with 335 issued by municipalities through June, compared with 417 in the same span last year. — Paul Gores, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Home building slows in metro Milwaukee during the first half of the year," 10 July 2018 Yields held steady Tuesday morning after the Labor Department said the rate of job openings had decreased in June, even as hiring had edged higher. — Orla Mccaffrey, WSJ, "U.S. Government Bonds Edge Lower After Weak Treasury Auction," 10 July 2018 And, as the Sentinel reported Friday, the year-by-year salary structure will decrease in the second, third and fourth seasons of the contract. — Josh Robbins, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Magic’s Aaron Gordon contract is more team-friendly than originally reported," 7 July 2018 State money available for classroom costs has actually decreased since 2013, because pension expenses incurred by districts have risen faster than state aid, according to the filing by the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center. — Maddie Hanna, Philly.com, "Gap between rich and poor Pa. school districts has grown, funding lawsuit says," 6 July 2018 The number of people caught crossing decreased about 15 percent from May to June, according to data from Customs and Border Protection. — Kate Morrissey, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Illegal border crossings decrease for the first time in 2018," 6 July 2018 Statewide, suits filed by Auto Glass America decreased from 3,246 in the first half of 2017 to 2,138 so far in 2018, the state data shows. — Ron Hurtibise, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Windshield lawsuits drop statewide; now barely a blip in South Florida," 6 July 2018 Yes, in the U.S. manufacturing jobs have decreased. — Mike Glenn, Houston Chronicle, "German company breaks ground at new US branch headquarters in Waller County," 29 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Furthermore, these dieters saw their systolic blood pressure decrease by approximately 7 millimeters of mercury. — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Does daily fasting help with weight loss? About the 16:8 diet," 19 June 2018 What's stood out most, as Counsell noted, is the decrease in lift Santana has displayed with his swing. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "After breakout season, Domingo Santana still searching for his power at the plate," 7 June 2018 Even women in their 30s—a group that had increasingly carried America’s childbearing in recent years—saw their fertility rate decrease in 2017. — Janet Adamy, WSJ, "U.S. Births Hit Lowest Number Since 1987," 17 May 2018 Despite his dominance and playing every game last year, the six-time Pro Bowler has seen his snap percentage decrease slightly each of the last three seasons. — Paul Dehner Jr., Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals 2018 NFL Draft strategy: Should it be the next Geno or next Peko?," 20 Apr. 2018 Lego on March 6 announced its first revenue decrease in 13 years, after dismissing some 8 percent of its work force in 2017. — Carol Matlack, chicagotribune.com, "Toymakers struggle to crack the code of what kids want," 2 Apr. 2018 The final 20 bays of the Bonnet Carre Spillway will be closed Friday (March 30) as the Mississippi River continues to drop and its downriver flow decreases, the Army Corps of Engineers announced. — Littice Bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "All Bonnet Carre Spillway bays will close Friday, Mississippi River still 'elevated'," 30 Mar. 2018 Gueye, from Senegal, saw his playing time decrease from 7 minutes a game in 28 games as a freshman to 5 minutes per game in 17 contests this season. — BostonGlobe.com, "Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III to leave early for NBA," 29 Mar. 2018 Over the past month, Florida Power & Light has been ballyhooing its rate decreases, based on its hurricane surcharges coming to an end. — Martin Vassolo, miamiherald, "FPL boasts of customer savings. But did it overcharge for hurricane costs? | Miami Herald," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decrease.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.