as in afraid
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1
as in revulsion
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2
as in diminishing
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1
as in compressing
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
the sweater will shrink a little when washed
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2
as in recoiling
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
shrinking back from the approaching flames
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3
as in decreasing
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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of shrinking
Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Beyond transistor shrinking The semiconductor industry has long relied on Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip doubles roughly every two years.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026
The process of shrinking was different among the groups, with some dinosaurs reducing the size of the fingers first, while others prioritized shortening the forearm.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
State economists have previously suggested the rise in unemployment isn’t simply about people losing their jobs, but about new entrants to the workforce taking longer to find work, while more people are retiring, leading to a shrinking of the overall labor pool.
—News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026
The shrinking of entry-level roles doesn't look critical yet, but its long-term consequences are hard to gauge.
—Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
More acute episodes of shrinking have been documented since 2000.
—Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Choose cleaning methods based on fabric type to avoid damage or shrinking.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 29 Apr. 2026
With irrigation shrinking and solar replacing crops, longtime farmworker Rosa Ramirez worries about disappearing jobs.
—Jeff St. John, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
At the same time, shrinking budgets and declining enrollment are real.
—Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
But the famous body of water is rapidly shrinking as scientists sound the alarm about an unfolding ecological disaster.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 May 2026
In addition, despite all the chatter about California shrinking its technology clout, the state remains the epicenter of this job-creating machine.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
The formula resets annually using your end-of-prior-year account value, meaning both a shrinking balance and a shrinking life expectancy factor can work against you simultaneously.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Returning to in-person work doesn’t automatically repair a shrinking network.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
As Betty Boop became more popular, Natwick revised his design to swap the character’s floppy dog’s ears for bangle earrings and shrinking her nose.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Sackin declined to comment on what teams were growing or shrinking as a result of the shakeup.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 20 May 2026
Adjective
Re-wash and dry the garment, using these tips to avoid re-shrinking, to prevent a residue from the conditioner from setting.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
In recent years, batted balls have carried much better in the East Village, and the shrinking of right field in 2012 has resulted in drives like Schwarber’s on Monday becoming home runs.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
Beyond transistor shrinking The semiconductor industry has long relied on Moore’s Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip doubles roughly every two years.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 25 May 2026
The process of shrinking was different among the groups, with some dinosaurs reducing the size of the fingers first, while others prioritized shortening the forearm.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
State economists have previously suggested the rise in unemployment isn’t simply about people losing their jobs, but about new entrants to the workforce taking longer to find work, while more people are retiring, leading to a shrinking of the overall labor pool.
—News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 22 May 2026
The shrinking of entry-level roles doesn't look critical yet, but its long-term consequences are hard to gauge.
—Illia Smoliienko, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
More acute episodes of shrinking have been documented since 2000.
—Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026
Choose cleaning methods based on fabric type to avoid damage or shrinking.
—Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 29 Apr. 2026
With irrigation shrinking and solar replacing crops, longtime farmworker Rosa Ramirez worries about disappearing jobs.
—Jeff St. John, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
Habitat loss, widespread chemical use, and shrinking forage caused wild pollinator populations to plummet.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
At the same time, shrinking budgets and declining enrollment are real.
—Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
But the famous body of water is rapidly shrinking as scientists sound the alarm about an unfolding ecological disaster.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 May 2026
In addition, despite all the chatter about California shrinking its technology clout, the state remains the epicenter of this job-creating machine.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
The formula resets annually using your end-of-prior-year account value, meaning both a shrinking balance and a shrinking life expectancy factor can work against you simultaneously.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 27 May 2026
Returning to in-person work doesn’t automatically repair a shrinking network.
—Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
As Betty Boop became more popular, Natwick revised his design to swap the character’s floppy dog’s ears for bangle earrings and shrinking her nose.
—Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Sackin declined to comment on what teams were growing or shrinking as a result of the shakeup.
—John Ruwitch, NPR, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrinking
Adjective
-
Contra to many prior popes, this See is not afraid to weigh in on the lopsided powers granted to the billionaire class, or an undemocratic state.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
This is why Kirby Smart is not afraid to talk about breaking away from the current NCAA system, if unified guidance is not attainable under the current format.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
The deepest reason for this near-universal futility is that most of us remain imprisoned by the delusions of the ego, suffering from alternating cravings and revulsions.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
-
Watching Jackie read her profoundly scary tale, my reaction moved from curiosity to revulsion to fear… not of her, but of Michael.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
There is a limit to how many employees a company can lay off before seeing diminishing returns.—
David Trainer,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
Others point to their own skills diminishing.—
Jon Martindale,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
CrowdStrike's 2025 Global Threat Report documented adversary breakout times falling to under 30 minutes, meaning the window between initial access and lateral movement inside a network keeps compressing.—
Michael George,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
Users can upload large video projects, raw photo libraries, design assets, or full client deliverables without splitting files or compressing them first.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
This is typical of Hacks, a series that constantly positions itself to do something emotionally dangerous before recoiling toward a safer version of it.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
Coinbase’s effort, filled with little nuances and created to emulate the experience of a videogame, might have people welcoming another look rather than recoiling at seeing the spot for the 15th time in a period of just a few days.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His attorney, Doug Kelley, released a statement touting successes during O'Hara's tenure, including diversifying and increasing the department's ranks, the decreasing violent crime rate and mitigating violent clashes during the immigration crackdown.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
-
Some residents have raised concerns about how cutting property taxes would impact the city’s financial health by decreasing revenue.—
Tess Riski
May 28,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Chances of Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire were timid when the markets first opened on Kalshi.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
-
Your favorite team probably doesn’t use them much, if at all, because they’re considered extremely difficult and most GMs are timid babies who are afraid of getting yelled at.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
Core elements of the artillery platform – including the barrel, breech, recoil system and trunnions – will be manufactured at Rheinmetall’s large-calibre production site in Telford.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
24 May 2026
-
The veterans didn't recoil from Normandy.—
Afdhel Aziz,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrinking. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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