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 49ers' offensive weapons have been hit hard this season, and losing Jennings and Pearsall would dwindle that unit even more for Brock Purdy. —James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025

Until then, the interest and trust in the Mint Steet mediocre will continue to dwindle. —Mike Kaye september 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2025

Flower Beauty's customers have noticed the brand's dwindling online presence for a while now; the Flower Beauty Instagram hasn't been updated since the end of 2024, inspiring comments from fans asking why specific products haven't been restocked. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 26 Sep. 2025

Market share of parcel delivery has dwindled massively in an even quicker timeframe, from 62 percent in 2019 to 24 percent this year. —Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 26 Sep. 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