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

• reduce
• decrease
• diminish
• deplete

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 Colts’ pass defense is vulnerable in short yardage and very susceptible to the deep ball, so Justin Herbert will again be asked to make lemonade out of a dwindling supply of lemons. —J.j. Bailey, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

As the federal government shutdown enters its 18th day, and as bank account balances dwindle, some federal workers are becoming more desperate to find income to tide them over until the uncertain day Congress passes a spending bill. —Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 18 Oct. 2025

New graduates are leaving college and heading into a tough labor market—entry-level roles are dwindling, managers are wary of hiring Gen Z candidates, and AI continues to automate more jobs. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025

However, with the number of residents dwindling, the government has decided to take down some shelters and redirect resources elsewhere. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for dwindle

• brindle
• grindal
• grindle
• kindle
• spindle
• swindle
• windle
• rekindle

Kids Definition

dwindle

verb

dwin·​dle ˈdwin-dᵊl 

dwindled; dwindling ˈdwin-dliŋ 

-dᵊliŋ

: to make or become less