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

Since 2018, the nation’s 12 plants have dwindled to three, and there’s no sign of further investment, Breen said. —Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025

But so far, the bottom rung of the corporate ladder is being most affected; employers are using AI to automate simpler, lower-level tasks, managers are hesitant to hire Gen Z professionals, and internships are dwindling. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2025

The dish are native to Quitobaquito Springs near the Arizona-Mexico border, but their numbers have dwindled with water levels in the habitat. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 30 Oct. 2025

Jachino said the Elk Grove Food Bank could use parking attendants to help direct traffic in their lot, but there are dwindling supplies for volunteers to sort. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 29 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