shrinkage

noun

shrink·​age ˈshriŋ-kij 

especially Southern ˈsriŋ-

1

: the act or process of shrinking

2

a

: the loss in weight of livestock during shipment and in the process of preparing the meat for consumption

b

: the loss of goods especially by theft

inventory shrinkage

3

: the amount lost by shrinkage

Synonyms of shrinkage

• decrease
• reduction
• dent
• decline
• drop

Examples of shrinkage in a Sentence

The shrinkage in contributions is significant.

a shrinkage of 10 percent

the shrinkage of the polar ice caps

Recent Examples on the Web

White matter lesions occur when the white matter (the brain area consisting of communicating nerve cells) is deprived of oxygen due to poor blood flow, resulting in brain tissue damage and shrinkage (atrophy). —Colleen Doherty, Verywell Health, 6 Nov. 2025

He was put on another inhibitor, this time a MEK inhibitor, to aid in tumor shrinkage. —Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2025

People taking the twice-daily pill also had slower brain shrinkage — particularly in the hippocampus, which controls memory and thinking, the atrophy was about 18% less than those taking the placebo. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025

More robust results came from measures of brain atrophy — the shrinkage that tends to come with Alzheimer's. —Jon Hamilton, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for shrinkage

• linkage

Kids Definition

shrinkage

noun

shrink·​age ˈshriŋ-kij 

: the amount by which something shrinks or becomes less