variants
or shrunk
1
as in compressed
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
the sweater will shrink a little when washed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in recoiled
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
shrinking back from the approaching flames
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in decreased
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually
his crush on her is likely to shrink after they start their new lives on different college campuses
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrank
That number shrank to 9,643 the next year and 2,126 in 1992, before sinking to as few as a few dozen per year in the early 2000s.
—
Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
The price fell because the crisis-risk premium shrank, or the baseline supply-and-demand conditions improved, or both.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has shrunk by roughly a third since 2024, and the Office for Civil Rights is roughly 40% smaller.
—CNN Money, 18 June 2026
His world shrank as his ability to sing to his young daughter, give a presentation for work or tell a joke eroded.
—Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 15 June 2026
Caffeine boosted cycling power output at first, but the advantage steadily shrank, and by the second and third weeks the same dose produced a smaller performance benefit.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
The College Park campus of the University of Maryland improved in quality even as funding shrank.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026
The gender-neutral short form performer category, always one of the smallest on the ballot, shrank to 11 submissions from 27.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 June 2026
The area’s vacancy rate, already at a historic high, kept climbing in 2025 as office users shrank their spaces or moved to the West Loop or Fulton Market.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
The price fell because the crisis-risk premium shrank, or the baseline supply-and-demand conditions improved, or both.
—George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services has shrunk by roughly a third since 2024, and the Office for Civil Rights is roughly 40% smaller.
—CNN Money, 18 June 2026
His world shrank as his ability to sing to his young daughter, give a presentation for work or tell a joke eroded.
—Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, 15 June 2026
Caffeine boosted cycling power output at first, but the advantage steadily shrank, and by the second and third weeks the same dose produced a smaller performance benefit.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 13 June 2026
The College Park campus of the University of Maryland improved in quality even as funding shrank.
—George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 2026
The gender-neutral short form performer category, always one of the smallest on the ballot, shrank to 11 submissions from 27.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 June 2026
The area’s vacancy rate, already at a historic high, kept climbing in 2025 as office users shrank their spaces or moved to the West Loop or Fulton Market.
—Brian J. Rogal, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrank
Verb
-
The accelerated consumption cycle has also compressed the window in which a title can generate revenue, with mid-tier content suffering most.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
12 June 2026
-
The same engineering scope could be compressed to approximately two weeks and roughly 120 to 200 engineering hours.—
Fabio Caversan,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
And when the Walmart collaboration arrived in 2007 — a full collection at twenty dollars and under — the industry recoiled once again.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
The young Forster recoiled from the school’s culture of authoritarianism and militaristic chauvinism, which may have found expression in the students’ often appalling attitudes toward their own mothers.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Crime in the 21207 zip code area has decreased within the last year, according to data from the Baltimore County Public Safety Data Dashboard.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
Parents should quickly seek medical care for an infant who has difficulty swallowing, poor feeding, loss of head control or decreased facial expression, the CDC said.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
18 June 2026
-
This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
The moose flinched and stiffened.—
Fred Bear,
Outdoor Life,
11 June 2026
-
One participant flinched, as if struck.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Aalto University / Mahdi Asgari History is filled with stories of the great being felled by the puny.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 June 2026
-
And those are the lucky ones, who weren’t felled by late-season injuries and bumped from the tournament the way Brazil’s Rodrygo, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Germany’s Serge Gnabry were.—
Luke Cyphers,
Sportico.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
On May 9, 1873—Black Friday—stocks collapsed, and fights broke out on the floor of the exchange, which was forced to close.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
-
Like how the 1964 claims of a North Vietnamese attack in the Gulf of Tonkin collapsed.—
Ta-Nehisi Coates,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The Republican Congress — filled with Netanyahu fans and hawks eager to align with Israel — winced.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
8 June 2026
-
Ohtani spun and winced but then strode straight to first base.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrank. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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