1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in denies
to be unwilling to grant
declined our request to hold a party
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in falls
to go to a lower level especially abruptly
new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in deteriorates
to become worse or of less value
his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in decreases
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in plunges
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
1
as in deteriorations
a change to a lower state or level
the decline of the Roman Empire
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dips
a downward slope
the bicyclist lost control on the unexpectedly steep decline
Synonyms & Similar Words
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3
as in demises
a loss of status
the engagement at the small club was an unmistakable sign of the rock band's decline
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in reductions
the amount by which something is lessened
a huge decline in the value of the artwork after its authenticity was questioned
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of declines
Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
The lottery will also assign waitlist positions to the remaining students in tier 2 and below if a student declines the funding.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Among them is a purple dye drawn from a sea snail found along the coast, a resource that has become increasingly difficult to gather as the species declines.
—María Teresa Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Most publications focused on business journalism suffered circulation declines during the Depression, but none was hurt more than The Wall Street Journal.
—Chris Roush, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
At the same time, the USPS has become increasingly dependent on package delivery as first-class mail declines, making large customers like Amazon even more important.
—Barbara Booth, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
Shulman teases features like that on the way for Suno but declines to divulge more.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
As the number of living survivors declines, organizers say the responsibility to preserve these stories is shifting.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Roughly 5% of WLFI’s supply is now collateral on Dolomite, so if WLFI declines significantly in value, the collateral could be liquidated, Vaiman said.
—Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 3 May 2026
The reasons for the enrollment declines vary, while solutions aren’t around the corner, though some suggest fewer students equals more resources to those who remain.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
Many cities now experiencing price declines also saw big run-ups in home valuations during the pandemic, such as Austin, Texas.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 May 2026
That's why the pullback in Cardinal shares on Thursday — on top of their declines in recent weeks — is worth buying.
—Zev Fima,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Despite revenue declines, adjusted EBITDA improved from -€94 million last year to -€90 million in 2025, thanks to selective store closures and tighter cost control.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2026
Whoever is the face of that as Surgeon General is unlikely to be able to do anything to reverse those declines.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026
Despite Republicans being the only partisan group to rate the economy positively in the index, their economic rating dropped 15 points between March and April, larger than declines among Democrats or independents.
—Emily Guskin, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Ford has also seen its own declines in China, where sales fell to 288,000 in 2022 from a peak of 853,000 in 2016.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
The Bears are looking for tax breaks and incentives, but all that will do the Bears no good if part of their fan support declines.
—Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
The lottery will also assign waitlist positions to the remaining students in tier 2 and below if a student declines the funding.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Among them is a purple dye drawn from a sea snail found along the coast, a resource that has become increasingly difficult to gather as the species declines.
—María Teresa Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Most publications focused on business journalism suffered circulation declines during the Depression, but none was hurt more than The Wall Street Journal.
—Chris Roush, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Apr. 2026
At the same time, the USPS has become increasingly dependent on package delivery as first-class mail declines, making large customers like Amazon even more important.
—Barbara Booth, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2026
Shulman teases features like that on the way for Suno but declines to divulge more.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
As the number of living survivors declines, organizers say the responsibility to preserve these stories is shifting.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2026
Roughly 5% of WLFI’s supply is now collateral on Dolomite, so if WLFI declines significantly in value, the collateral could be liquidated, Vaiman said.
—Jack Kubinec, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
Their ability to contract declines and their metabolism changes.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 3 May 2026
The reasons for the enrollment declines vary, while solutions aren’t around the corner, though some suggest fewer students equals more resources to those who remain.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
Many cities now experiencing price declines also saw big run-ups in home valuations during the pandemic, such as Austin, Texas.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 1 May 2026
That's why the pullback in Cardinal shares on Thursday — on top of their declines in recent weeks — is worth buying.
—Zev Fima,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 1 May 2026
Despite revenue declines, adjusted EBITDA improved from -€94 million last year to -€90 million in 2025, thanks to selective store closures and tighter cost control.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2026
Whoever is the face of that as Surgeon General is unlikely to be able to do anything to reverse those declines.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026
Despite Republicans being the only partisan group to rate the economy positively in the index, their economic rating dropped 15 points between March and April, larger than declines among Democrats or independents.
—Emily Guskin, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Ford has also seen its own declines in China, where sales fell to 288,000 in 2022 from a peak of 853,000 in 2016.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for declines
Verb
-
The play is dominated by Lithgow’s towering portrait of the artist as a weary old giant who refuses to concede an inch of ground.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Others rely on patience, research, and the fact that the ground itself refuses to be reduced to one easy headline.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
OpenAI denies that support emails tell users how to re-register with a new email address after accounts are deactivated.—
Robert Pearlman,
ArsTechnica,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The Pentagon denies any food issues on ships.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jupiter Jupiter, as darkness falls, will be roughly one-third up from the western horizon to the point directly overhead.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
2 May 2026
-
The shoulder season falls between peak travel windows, after ski season winds down and before summer crowds arrive.—
Conor McGill,
CBS News,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Hospitals use the same billing codes for the ER visit, whether a patient’s condition deteriorates or not.—
Andrew Jones,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Her condition rapidly deteriorates to the point where Abbott and Robby are forced to do a C-Section in the ER, with seconds to spare to save her life and the life of the baby.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As the storm moves away, this likelihood decreases.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
-
This risk decreases as the storm moves away.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ernaux’s signature method of resisting interpretation and incarnating the past plunges us into this girl’s experience.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Architectonics takes this murky style and plunges it to a new deep, incorporating the bronze gong and chime sounds of gamelan while burying his rhythms in dense, dubby layers of incense smoke.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Similar deteriorations took place in Tuscany and in Naples.—
Britannica Editors,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
While many media streaming sticks can work to some extent when plugged into a TV's USB port, their performance isn’t reliable and can be prone to crashes and reboots due to power dips.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
-
The product design for the pull-on skinny and flare denim sought to tackle frequent fit issues women have with jeans—such as waist gaps and hip dips—with waist-smoothing paneling and padding and contour seaming to lift and round wearers’ hips.—
Sarah Jones,
Footwear News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Declines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/declines. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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