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as in to plunge
to lead or extend downward the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

decline

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noun

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word decline different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of decline are refuse, reject, repudiate, and spurn. While all these words mean "to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering," decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

When might refuse be a better fit than decline?

While in some cases nearly identical to decline, refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

When would reject be a good substitute for decline?

The words reject and decline can be used in similar contexts, but reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

When is it sensible to use repudiate instead of decline?

The synonyms repudiate and decline are sometimes interchangeable, but repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

Where would spurn be a reasonable alternative to decline?

While the synonyms spurn and decline are close in meaning, spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of decline
Verb
This did cause Russia some pain, with its oil and gas revenues declining after the initial measure introduced in 2022. Alexander Smith, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025 Citizenship and Immigration Services declined to comment on the lawsuit. Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
The film, created by Chinese student C·one and inspired by a team member’s relative suffering from the disease, uses an oil painting aesthetic to depict the inner world of someone experiencing cognitive decline. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Oct. 2025 The mayor of Lemnos, Eleonora Georga, said shuttered schools around the island are one of the most obvious signs of the decline. Sarah McCammon, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decline
Verb
  • By refusing to specify details of the case, the government keeps the possibility alive of changing their reasoning or their claims to have the same effect for different reasons—just as the mob changes its reasoning for killing Cinna.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 23 Oct. 2025
  • If Taiwan refuses to capitulate in a quarantine or blockade, an invasion could follow.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Rose has denied many of the allegations and the case is ongoing.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Grandma's fall inspires middle schooler's invention Kevin said his grandmother, who lives with his family, fell at home about five years ago.
    Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The Phillies clearly have work to do this offseason after falling short in the NLCS, but restoring the relationship with Harper and emphasizing how false the rumors are needs to be a top priority.
    Shaun McAvoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Instead, the property has passed hands from private owner to private owner, hidden from view off a lonely winding road, slowly deteriorating over the years.
    Amanda Rosa October 23, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
  • Grid operators are warning of steep increases in electricity demand for the first time in decades, leading utilities to race to expand capacity by reviving plans for natural-gas plants or building new ones, and, in some regions, even extending the life of deteriorating coal facilities.
    Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As the Universe continues to expand, dark energy’s relative contributions to the energy density will rise, while the remaining components will continue to decrease in relative importance.
    Big Think, Big Think, 24 Oct. 2025
  • See what prices have increased and decreased.
    Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Not brave enough for the power suit plunge a la Miley?
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The encouraging signals from both sides of the negotiations were a marked contrast from recent weeks, when Beijing’s announcement of new export restrictions and Trump’s reciprocal threat of staggering new tariffs threatened to plunge the world’s two largest economies back into an all-out trade war.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The causes of the deterioration are different in each case, and some of Washington’s grievances against Brazil, India, and South Africa—global swing states that will help dictate which country leads the world—are legitimate.
    Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2025
  • According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, CMT causes a range of sensory and motor symptoms, including numbness, tingling, pain, muscle weakness and atrophy — deterioration in cells, tissues, and organs.
    Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Presenting their findings in a lengthy declination memo, the prosecutors explicitly mentioned the two other investigations to bolster their recommendation that probable cause does not exist to charge Comey, according to sources familiar with the contents of the memo.
    Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2025
  • On those three dates, variations in the moon's position relative to Earth's equator — particularly its declination — can influence tidal forces that subtly affect Earth's rotation rate.
    Jamie Carter, Space.com, 5 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decline. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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