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

• abatement
• decline
• decrease
• decrement
• dent
• depletion
• depression
• diminishment
• diminution
• drop
• drop-off
• fall
• falloff
• loss
• reduction
• step-down

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

Our hero manages to escape the kitty’s onslaught, but his brush with death doesn’t arrest the relentless shrinkage. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 June 2025

In May, the large shrinkage in the labor force kept the U3 Unemployment Rate the same as April’s 4.2% rate. —Robert Barone, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025

Muscle Atrophy Atrophy is a decrease in the size of a tissue or organ brought on by shrinkage. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 6 June 2025

Whereas most machinery for fabric stabilization do not address shrinkage, Biancalani’s continuous tumble washing range, called Aquaria, performs a pre-shrinking process with Aquafix and Aquastone. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 11 Apr. 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