dwindling

verb

present participle of dwindle
1
as in reducing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent the long winter dwindled our supply of firewood to practically nothing

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decreasing
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually our hopes dwindled as the reports of more casualties came in

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 dwindling Green is hopeful that listeners take time to absorb the record as a whole, a tough task in an age when attention-spans are dwindling and short-form social content is king. — Thomas Smith, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2026 The Seahawks entered the game with a 6-7 record and their playoff hopes dwindling. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The New York Times reports that at the same time Drexel faces dwindling enrollment and a $20 million budget deficit, the university contributed some $17 million to the academy during the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years. — News Desk, Artforum, 9 Sep. 2026 Iran has only 29 million barrels left in cargo that was already at sea before the conflict began, down from 90 million, and thus its sources of foreign currency revenue are dwindling, the WSJ reported. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026 The United Kingdom, a longtime ally of Israel, recognized Palestinian statehood last year in an attempt to revive dwindling efforts to achieve a two-state solution. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026 The surge is being blamed on the war with Iran, Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, and dwindling domestic inventories. — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 7 Sep. 2026 The Colorado River, a significant source of water for the Southland, is dwindling to record lows. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Worse, our population is aging, and the number of working adults contributing to the tax base is dwindling. — Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dwindling
  1. reducing
  2. decreasing
  3. depleting
  4. diminishing
  5. subsiding
  6. declining
  7. shrinking
  8. vanishing
Verb
  • The expectation is that, with the SAFER barrier, cars will slide along it in an accident, reducing the risk of the car ending up bouncing back onto the racing line.
    — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Asked by the Miami Herald who would cover the difference between what Hialeah pays Miami-Dade County for water and sewer services and what the city would collect after reducing customers’ bills by 25% or 50%, Calvo said there is no gap.
    — Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • Charlotte’s overall economic and population growth is decreasing the office vacancy rate.
    — Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Those are decreasing in frequency, and the situation has befuddled the USTA.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • There’s about a half-dozen coordinators who should be high on ADs’ radars, perhaps even more so after a bunch of top Group of 6 head coaches got Power 4 jobs last year, depleting the ranks a bit.
    — Bruce Feldman, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Authorities were wary of depleting China’s supply and someday becoming dependent on imports, as the country is for oil and gas.
    — GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of depleting
Verb
  • Seemingly, the only thing that could slow down the automobile takeover was diminishing fuel supplies, fear of which had become a fixation of American oil companies and government officials after the Armistice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Having already weathered so many attacks aimed at diminishing its power, the remaining Iranian leadership, which learned to tolerate hardship in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, is unlikely to be cowed by further aggression.
    — JAMES F. JEFFREY, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of diminishing
Verb
  • Multiple Kelvin waves These waves can bring elevated sea levels for weeks at a time, eventually subsiding before the next wave hits.
    — Zoe Mintz, CBS News, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Two of them coincide with areas where satellite radar shows that the ground is actively subsiding.
    — Nolan Roth, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of subsiding
Verb
  • Parents, students, and educators raised concerns Wednesday night about Broward County Public Schools' proposal to close several schools as the district grapples with declining enrollment and significant funding shortfalls.
    — Abby Dodge, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Across the city and the country, declining attendance has idled many religious buildings, often leading to conversions.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • The central region keeps shrinking, concentrating motion into an increasingly small area.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Sep. 2026
  • That safety net is gone, and the margin for error is shrinking with it.
    — Richard McSweeney, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of shrinking
Verb
  • But that sense of security is now one play away from vanishing.
    — Colton Pouncy, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The research makes a compelling case that in the age of AI, the once-bright line between data and executable code is vanishing.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of vanishing

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dwindling
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Cite this Entry

“Dwindling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dwindling. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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