shrink

verb

\ ˈshriŋk

, especially Southern ˈsriŋk\

shrank\ ˈshraŋk

, ˈsraŋk \ or shrunk\ ˈshrəŋk

, ˈsrəŋk \; shrunk or shrunken\ ˈshrəŋ-kən

, ˈsrəŋ- \; shrinking

Definition of shrink

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to contract or curl up the body or part of it : huddle, cower

2a : to contract to less extent or compass

b : to become smaller or more compacted

c : to lose substance or weight

d : to lessen in value : dwindle

3a : to recoil instinctively (as from something painful or horrible) shrank from the challenge

b : to hold oneself back : refrain did not shrink from telling the truth

transitive verb

: to cause to contract or shrink specifically : to compact (cloth) by causing to contract when subjected to washing, boiling, steaming, or other processes

shrink

noun

Definition of shrink (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the act of shrinking

2 : shrinkage

3 [ short for headshrinker ] : a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist

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

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Synonyms & Antonyms for shrink

Synonyms: Verb

compress, condense, constrict, contract

Antonyms: Verb

balloon, expand, snowball, swell

Choose the Right Synonym for shrink

Verb

contract, shrink, condense, compress, constrict, deflate mean to decrease in bulk or volume. contract applies to a drawing together of surfaces or particles or a reduction of area or length. caused her muscles to contract shrink implies a contracting or a loss of material and stresses a falling short of original dimensions. the sweater will shrink when washed condense implies a reducing of something homogeneous to greater compactness without significant loss of content. condense the essay into a paragraph compress implies a pressing into a small compass and definite shape usually against resistance. compressed cotton into bales constrict implies a tightening that reduces diameter. the throat is constricted by a tight collar deflate implies a contracting by reducing the internal pressure of contained air or gas. deflate the balloon

recoil, shrink, flinch, wince, blench, quail mean to draw back in fear or distaste. recoil implies a start or movement away through shock, fear, or disgust. recoiled at the suggestion of stealing shrink suggests an instinctive recoil through sensitiveness, scrupulousness, or cowardice. shrank from the unpleasant truth flinch implies a failure to endure pain or face something dangerous or frightening with resolution. faced her accusers without flinching wince suggests a slight involuntary physical reaction (such as a start or recoiling). winced in pain blench implies fainthearted flinching. stood their ground without blenching quail suggests shrinking and cowering in fear. quailed before the apparition

Examples of shrink in a Sentence

Verb

The sweater shrank when it was washed. Meat shrinks as it cooks. The town's population shrank during the war. Hot water shrank the sweater. The treatment should shrink the tumor. He shrank in horror when he saw the dead cat.

Noun

He is seeing a shrink.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But Swalwell’s comments have lived on, even if his candidacy has shrunk back into single-digit desperation again. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "How Old is Too Old to Be President?," 2 July 2019 Food Management Partners’ website shows the portfolio of Buffets’ restaurants has shrunk considerably since Buffets’ bankruptcy filing. — Patrick Danner, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio-area restaurant operators ‘siphoned’ millions from business: suit," 28 June 2019 But Link says that the September debate, where candidates will have had to have received donations from at least 130,000 donors and hit two percent in at least four qualifying polls, is when the field will really shrink. — Nicole Sganga, Adam Brewster, CBS News, "Excluded from debate, Steve Bullock tries his luck in New Hampshire and Iowa," 27 June 2019 Moyes still has a semblance of faith in his former protege, but knows the market is shrinking. — SI.com, "Moyesian Utopia: Scripting an Alternate Reality Where Man Utd Didn't Sack David Moyes," 26 June 2019 But state revenue forecasters say the portion of a bill where fees can be assessed is shrinking. — Mike Rogoway, oregonlive.com, "Oregon House approves cell phone fee," 24 June 2019 Staff budgets have been consistently cut for years by Republicans who celebrated the reductions as evidence of austerity while fulfilling their goal of shrinking government. — Carl Hulse, New York Times, "Congressional Veterans Pitch In to Rebuild Oversight Muscle," 22 June 2019 Kemp, a 54-year-old businessman and two-term secretary of state, is vying to maintain the GOP’s hold in a state where Republicans have won every governor’s race since 2002, though by shrinking margins amid a growing and diversifying electorate. — Bill Barrow, The Seattle Times, "Ballot count not yet finished in Georgia governor’s race," 7 Nov. 2018 The president also wants to shrink the record $420 billion U.S. annual trade deficit with China by getting Beijing to accelerate its purchases of American farm, energy and industrial products. — David J. Lynch, Washington Post, "Trump top trade envoy sees progress in USMCA talks with Congress," 18 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

For every extra thousand dollars that ends up being added to the price of Model 3, the size of the market shrinks by 1 percent to 2 percent, according to KBB. — chicagotribune.com, "Tesla Model 3 delivery day raises more questions than answers," 28 July 2017 Musk also tweeted Wednesday a reminder that the US federal tax credit for Teslas shrinks next month. — Matt Mcfarland, CNN, "Tesla's black paint just got $1,000 more expensive," 19 June 2019 As Deloitte noted in a previous report, retail is polarizing toward the high and low ends just as the same happens in American incomes and the middle class shrinks. — Marc Bain, Quartz, "US consumer spending hasn’t changed much in 30 years, with one exception," 30 May 2019 The new papers posted online this month showed that relative to the size of the deck, cap set size shrinks exponentially as n gets larger. — Quanta Magazine, "Simple Set Game Proof Stuns Mathematicians," 31 May 2016 Newsletter Sign-up After a plant closes, those employees are left playing musical chairs, hoping to land a spot at another nuclear plant even as that job pool shrinks. — Erin Ailworth, WSJ, "High-Paying Jobs in Nuclear Power Aren’t Looking So Safe Anymore," 28 Dec. 2018 Once the egg is released, the empty follicle shrinks to form what's called a corpus luteum, which is supposed to make hormones to get ready for the next egg. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Kate Beckinsale Reveals She Went to the Hospital for a Ruptured Ovarian Cyst," 28 Jan. 2019 This started the shrink, integrate, shrink, integrate, rinse, repeat motion that’s still going strong today. — Andy Kessler, WSJ, "The Chip That Changed the World," 26 Aug. 2018 The maximum amount of daylight is of course the first day of summer, and after that, the daylight slowly shrinks, which nobody likes to think about because some of the kids won’t even be out of school yet. — Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Good news: 8 p.m. sunsets begin this week," 17 May 2018

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

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Statistics for shrink

Last Updated

6 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for shrink

The first known use of shrink was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for shrink

shrink

verb

English Language Learners Definition of shrink

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to become smaller in amount, size, or value

: to make (something) smaller in amount, size, or value

: to quickly move away from something shocking, frightening, or disgusting

shrink

noun

English Language Learners Definition of shrink (Entry 2 of 2)

informal : a psychiatrist or psychologist

See the full definition for shrink in the English Language Learners Dictionary

shrink

verb

\ ˈshriŋk

shrank\ ˈshraŋk \ or shrunk\ ˈshrəŋk \; shrunk or shrunken\ ˈshrəŋ-kən \; shrinking

Kids Definition of shrink

1 : to make or become smaller The sweater shrank when it got wet.

2 : to curl up or move back in or as if in fear or pain Just the thought of all this made Tom shrink back uncomfortably in his chair.— Andrew Clements, Frindle

3 : to refrain from doing something especially because of difficulty or unpleasantness He did not shrink from telling the truth.