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

During the great recession, while the courses themselves maintained their standing among Canada’s best, the fortunes of the club itself began to slide thanks to dwindling membership. —Mike Dojc, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023

Health-care infrastructure in Gaza City is facing near-total collapse as fierce fighting erupts around hospitals with dwindling food, fuel and water supplies. —Niha masih, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023

In a year of viral country hits sung by angry men, Megan Moroney stakes out a woman’s POV. Watch: In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023

Despite their differences, the two lean on each other while contending with filthy motel rooms, colorism, rampant misogyny, dwindling finances and their own evolving public images. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 6 Nov. 2023

Although aid has been brought into Gaza in recent weeks, the daily delivery of trucks cannot keep up with the demand of more than 2 million people inside Gaza as water and food supplies dwindle. —Lawahez Jabari, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2023

As Japan grapples with the consequences of dwindling natural predators, the nation sees an increasing encroachment of animals -- like deer, wild boars, monkeys and bears -- into human territories. —Anthony Trotter, ABC News, 31 Oct. 2023

As salmon populations dwindled into the 21st century, the Corps decided to try again, building a small collector on an offshoot of the Willamette. —Tony Schick, ProPublica, 31 Oct. 2023

Analysts are watching closely for signals that consumers are pulling back with inflation and interest rates up and pandemic-era savings dwindling. —Jennifer Williams-Alvarez, WSJ, 1 Nov. 2023

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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