1
as in to reduce
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent
workers decreased the volume of water flowing through the pipes in order to prevent an overflow
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to diminish
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
the force of the wind slowly decreased until the flowers were standing upright again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in reduction
the amount by which something is lessened
the average decrease in the price of milk was five cents per gallon
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of decrease
Connor Greene, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Overall, Christopher hypothesizes that the difference in outcomes varied because more active athletes stayed stronger than those who had to — or chose to — decrease their activity.
—Starre Vartan, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 3 Sep. 2025
There was a decrease in people in the squads, in detective squads to investigate crimes.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decrease
Verb
Over the last year, as Musk faced controversy over his ties to Trump and brief tenure overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency in the President’s second Administration, Tesla’s sales have decreased.
—Connor Greene, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Overall, Christopher hypothesizes that the difference in outcomes varied because more active athletes stayed stronger than those who had to — or chose to — decrease their activity.
—Starre Vartan, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
However, those taking an identical-looking pill containing no medication showed a 27 percent decrease in hot flashes.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, Flow Space, 3 Sep. 2025
There was a decrease in people in the squads, in detective squads to investigate crimes.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for decrease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decrease
Verb
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His team accused Whatley of distorting the facts to cover for his support of federal policies that reduced funding for local police.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
11 Sep. 2025
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Valentino has been streamlining its wholesale channel, reduced by about 20 percent in 2024, a strategy that continued in 2025 and that is expected to impact its year-end performance.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That transition will bring with it some advantages (the conflict of being a part of the Comcast empire is diminished) but also challenges.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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Many observers feel that the family’s power in Thailand is diminished, and its long dominant political machine could finally be out of steam.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While sustainable aviation fuels and electric aircraft will play larger roles in long-term decarbonization, immediate weight reduction offers airlines tangible benefits today.—
Karl Moore,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The scale of the revision announced on Tuesday exceeds a downward reduction in hiring estimates last year that has drawn criticism from Trump in recent weeks.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Royals are waiting for his back spasms to subside before getting him back into game action.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
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By 2008, Americans were withdrawing, and combat deaths were subsiding to their lowest level since the start of the occupation.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Chinese authorities said that headline CPI had slipped into negative territory largely due to the high-base last year and lower food prices, while crediting the narrower decline in producer prices in part to Beijing's efforts in regulating the excessive price competition.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Apple—which topped the World’s Best Companies list in 2024—is notably absent this year due to a decline in revenue from 2022 to 2024, which many Wall Street analysts have postulated could be due to the company falling behind on AI.—
Charlotte Hu,
Time,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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National Weather Service meteorologists consider forecasting waterspouts during the late summer and fall whenever large, cool air masses overspread the waters of the Great Lakes.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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The Department of Buildings told CBS News New York and News 12 Long Island that a 10-by-10-inch section of the ceiling collapsed due to possible water damage, and pieces of the building fell on customers dining inside.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sabalenka, who has the much greater variety of the two players, started to bring the drop shot into play.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, costly mistakes — a Miles Sanders red zone fumble in the third quarter and three drops from CeeDee Lamb in the fourth quarter — gave the Eagles a slim 24-20 victory.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Alcaraz was briefly in a battle against Novak Djokovic, but eased through the third set after taking the second on a tiebreak.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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The new rates, intended to streamline processes and compliance while easing the burden on consumers, include tax cuts on various items like apparel and footwear, and narrow down the four tax slabs introduced when GST first rolled out in 2017.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Decrease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decrease. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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