DECLINES Synonyms: 418 Similar and Opposite Words

declines 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of decline

as in refuses

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to he declined the invitation to the party she declined to participate in the soccer game

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Relevance

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as in denies

to be unwilling to grant declined our request to hold a party

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as in falls

to go to a lower level especially abruptly new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

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as in deteriorates

to become worse or of less value his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death

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as in decreases

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes

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as in plunges

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

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declines

2 of 2

noun

plural of decline

as in deteriorations

a change to a lower state or level the decline of the Roman Empire

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as in dips

a downward slope the bicyclist lost control on the unexpectedly steep decline

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as in demises

a loss of status the engagement at the small club was an unmistakable sign of the rock band's decline

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as in reductions

the amount by which something is lessened a huge decline in the value of the artwork after its authenticity was questioned

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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 declines

Verb

Once sterile males are prevalent enough, the fly's population declines and then dies out. —

CBS News, 8 June 2026 If price declines outpace output gains, total revenues in affected industries must fall, reducing the income available to workers and other producers despite higher levels of production. —

James Broughel, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026 Mayor Rex Richardson is calling it a revenue generator for Long Beach as oil money declines. —

Clay Marshall, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026 After Amanda rushes off the stage in tears and decamps to her dressing room, West declines to go after her, sitting around onstage like a deer in headlights. —

Marlow Stern, Variety, 3 June 2026 Strength training may be especially important with age because muscle mass naturally declines over time. —

Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 2 June 2026 Gradually, the New World screwworm population declines. —

Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 June 2026 When a substantial fraction of that talent pool declines even to consider military service, no signing bonus will close the gap. —

Robert Krasner, STAT, 1 June 2026 When those rules are no longer enforced, following them becomes optional, and safety declines. —

Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

Noun

One of the most influential explanations for why desire thrives (or declines) over time comes from self-expansion theory, developed by psychologists Arthur and Elaine Aron, which argues that humans are motivated to grow, learn and broaden their sense of self throughout life. —

Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026 While the team also examined muscle samples from younger and older men and found similar declines in NOX4, additional research is needed to better understand the protein's role in human aging. —

Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026 More than half are leveraged or inverse products designed to amplify the stock's daily moves or profit from share price declines. —

Ashley Capoot,cj Haddad,samantha Subin,lora Kolodny, CNBC, 12 June 2026 Growth concentrated in a few communities is complemented by declines elsewhere. —

Christopher Briem, The Conversation, 12 June 2026 On average, the S&P 500 declines on Mondays but doesn’t during the rest of the week. —

Jim Edwards, Fortune, 12 June 2026 Such declines are evident, in part, through a sharp decrease in developers taking out building permits from City Hall for new construction, per the report. —

Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for declines

Verb

Here, Colman Domingo’s renegade intelligence operative also refuses to tell anyone anything, but all the unspoken beats just feel like plot holes.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
And law enforcement refuses to investigate it.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026