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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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

In a cruel self-fulfilling twist on the Middle Child Syndrome, statistics show that a family’s ideal size has shrunk to two kids, leaving the middleborns to go the way of the mastadon. — Katie Kosma, Longreads, "Losing the Middle Ground," 13 July 2018 After provisional ballots were counted, the lead shrank to four votes. — Kate Magill, Howard County Times, "Howard council incumbent seeks recount after two-vote loss," 9 July 2018 Scott shrinks down to a tiny size in order to enter the Quantum Realm and retrieve samples. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "We Finally Know Why Ant-Man Wasn’t In Avengers: Infinity War," 6 July 2018 In 1866, as pro-Reconstruction Republicans in Congress did battle with President Andrew Johnson, Congress passed a law barring Johnson from filling vacancies until the Court shrank to eight members, which occurred the following year. — Dylan Matthews, Vox, "Court-packing, Democrats’ nuclear option for the Supreme Court, explained," 2 July 2018 But with the draw and a 1-0 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC win at Louisville City FC, Cincinnati's lead shrinks to three points. — Charlie Hatch, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincinnati vs. Ottawa Fury FC scouting report," 29 June 2018 Intel pulled off that magic trick by steadily shrinking the features on its chips, packing more and more transistors into the same space, and by changing the materials and shape of the circuitry. — Mike Rogoway, OregonLive.com, "Intel hits a wall on Moore's Law; growth in computing power finally slows," 3 May 2018 That means the district has to look to other ways to increase revenue — a goal held in common with the prior board — and may try to reduce district spending by shrinking the traditional school system. — Howard Blume, latimes.com, "L.A. school board makes a bold, controversial choice in Beutner," 2 May 2018 Singer Katy Perry saw more than 3 million of the 110 million followers on her Twitter account suddenly vanish, while Justin Bieber’s social media account shrunk by 1.4 million. — Lukas Mikelionis, Fox News, "Twitter purge means fewer followers for Trump, Obama, Justin Bieber," 13 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

With wages remaining stagnant (even as the unemployment rate shrinks), gains like these can make a big difference in the stability of women's lives, long term. — refinery29.com, "The Supreme Court's Janus Ruling Is A Blow To Black Women," 27 June 2018 Some of the best material had Jessie in therapy — with a shrink played by Zwick. — Matthew Gilbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Ten actors who shone even before they were stars," 28 June 2018 That's because as Antarctica's mass shrinks, the ice sheet's gravitational pull on the ocean relaxes somewhat, and the seas travel back across the globe to pile up far away - with U.S. coasts being one prime destination. — Chris Mooney, courant.com, "Antarctic ice loss has tripled in a decade. If that continues we are in serious trouble.," 13 June 2018 The size of an area indicated in the forecast track has shrunk by 35-percent since 2008 and since last year, experts witnessed the cone’s 5-day track shrink by 6-percent. — OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hurricane Center offers new communication tools," 30 May 2018 Sure, Embiid needs to get into better shape, Simmons needs a jumper, Brown needs to adjust faster, Colangelo needs to be in the LeBron Sweepstakes and Fultz maybe needs a shrink. — Marcus Hayes, Philly.com, "Philly sports fans should enjoy the ride | Marcus Hayes," 13 May 2018 But again, that doesn’t mean all this offseason drama couldn’t bite them down the line in the playoffs, when the margin for error shrinks. — Albert Breer, SI.com, "Dolphins Reset, Patriots Regroup, NFL Recharges," 4 June 2018 In Europe, too, demand for low-skilled labor will only increase as the continent's population ages and, in some cases, shrinks. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "Does the West actually face a migration crisis?," 28 June 2018 Many investors have abandoned stock pickers as the U.S. stock market shrinks and money surges into low-cost indexes. — Dawn Lim, WSJ, "How One Small School’s Endowment Is Topping the Class," 24 June 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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Last Updated

14 Sep 2018

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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)

: 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.