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decrease

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb decrease differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of decrease are abate, diminish, dwindle, lessen, and reduce. While all these words mean "to grow or make less," decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

When would abate be a good substitute for decrease?

The meanings of abate and decrease largely overlap; however, abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

When could diminish be used to replace decrease?

While the synonyms diminish and decrease are close in meaning, diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

When can dwindle be used instead of decrease?

Although the words dwindle and decrease have much in common, dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

When is it sensible to use lessen instead of decrease?

The words lessen and decrease can be used in similar contexts, but lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

When might reduce be a better fit than decrease?

While in some cases nearly identical to decrease, reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

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 decrease
Verb
Its earnings decreased year over year due to falling oil prices and a $235 million loss on transaction costs associated with the Hess acquisition. Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025 Wind gusts of 23 mph in the day should decrease to around 8 mph in the evening. John Tufts, IndyStar, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
Those numbers represent a decrease of seven percentage points and 15 percentage points, respectively, since 2024. Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025 The decrease is due to an increase in available units. Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for decrease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decrease
Verb
  • October has seen 93 blank sailings, up from 58 in September, according to data from maritime research firm Drewry, with container capacity reduced by roughly 7 percent month over month.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
  • By cutting the cost and complexity of closings, the company hopes to expand access to homeownership, reduce fraud, and help smaller regional title firms compete with national giants.
    Nia Bowers, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the end, the power of the Cheney name was greatly diminished in GOP politics.
    Don Gonyea, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The business community is bracing to wake up Wednesday reminded of their diminishing power in their own backyard.
    Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Waymo touts its safety record, citing company research saying that compared to a human driver, Waymo vehicles reported a 91% reduction in serious injury crashes, 79% fewer airbag deployments and 80% fewer injury-causing collisions.
    Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Climate scientists have repeatedly warned that a substantial reduction in fossil fuel use will be necessary to curb global heating, with the burning of coal, oil and gas identified as the chief driver of the climate crisis.
    Sam Meredith,Dan Murphy, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Floods in Cebu City had subsided late on Tuesday but power was still out in many places and telecommunications services were intermittent, a Reuters journalist in Cebu said.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
  • But the tech wave has since subsided.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Since hip-hop hit a market peak in 2020, it's been a slow decline ever since, the outlet reports.
    Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Blank sailings have only gotten more prevalent as ocean carriers aimed to stop months of declines in freight rates after a softer-than-usual peak shipping season.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • And King Priam, at great personal risk, shows up with a ransom and falls on his knees and clasps Achilles’ hand.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • As Semafor previously reported, many inside the magazine were excited by Guiducci’s arrival, believing the old Vanity Fair was moving too slowly, had fallen too far outside the zeitgeist, and had lost some of its sheen.
    Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Evidence pointing directly to Avery’s involvement included drops of his blood that were found in Halbach's Toyota RAV4 and her keys, which were found in his bedroom along with his DNA, per the Post-Crescent.
    Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Bitcoin’s price has gone up 700% over the past five years — with plenty of stomach-turning drops along the way — while the S&P 500 is up 110%.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The good news is that their fixtures are about to ease, with only Liverpool facing a kinder run over the next 10 matches, according to Opta’s Power Rankings.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Weddings are expensive, after all, and delaying the big honeymoon trip can help ease the blow by spreading out the cost.
    Jim Augerinos, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Decrease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decrease. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.

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