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
Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
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 logical result is a shrinking of entry-level roles—the positions whose responsibilities are the first to get automated.
—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
Matt Brennan
editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
America’s stockpile of emergency crude oil is shrinking fast, rapidly approaching the four-decade low set under former President Joe Biden.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
The projection came two days after Raman moved into second place since ballots began being counted less than a week ago and following several days of shrinking margins between Raman and former reality television star Spencer Pratt.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 9 June 2026
To address the shrinking student population and revenue, the district is considering closing schools or consolidating campuses.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
He’s allowed 20 home runs in 13 starts, a sign of his recent lack of execution and shrinking margin for error.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 8 June 2026
But he was quickly stopped by police, in the latest sign of the city's shrinking freedom of expression.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
Africa’s bargaining power is rising just as its fiscal space is shrinking.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 3 June 2026
The world of electronics has been shrinking and will continue to do so in the years to come.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 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
Notably, there was a 1% increase in students aged 18 to 24 — the shrinking, traditional college-going age.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
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 logical result is a shrinking of entry-level roles—the positions whose responsibilities are the first to get automated.
—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
Verb
But in their conversation, these top names in the industry all showed deep concern about what such changes mean for showbiz’s shrinking middle class.
—Matt Brennan
editor, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
America’s stockpile of emergency crude oil is shrinking fast, rapidly approaching the four-decade low set under former President Joe Biden.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
The projection came two days after Raman moved into second place since ballots began being counted less than a week ago and following several days of shrinking margins between Raman and former reality television star Spencer Pratt.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 9 June 2026
To address the shrinking student population and revenue, the district is considering closing schools or consolidating campuses.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
He’s allowed 20 home runs in 13 starts, a sign of his recent lack of execution and shrinking margin for error.
—Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 8 June 2026
But he was quickly stopped by police, in the latest sign of the city's shrinking freedom of expression.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
Africa’s bargaining power is rising just as its fiscal space is shrinking.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 3 June 2026
The world of electronics has been shrinking and will continue to do so in the years to come.
—Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrinking
Adjective
-
Ridge Vineyards is rooted in tradition but not afraid to change with the times.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
-
The main character, Holly, belongs to a group of people — or perhaps a generation — afraid that life is always happening somewhere else.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 June 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
-
But there is no doubt that the NAACP is right about the contradiction of people cheering the exploits of Black athletes at college programs while also cheering the diminishing of Black political representation.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
-
Loper said many states are facing difficulties raising money for transportation and anticipate diminishing revenue from taxes on gas as efficiency continues to improve and as electric vehicles become more common.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
The technology can help with due diligence and integration, compressing what was once a long process into one that customers might not notice.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
In the new Hubble image, some of the gas on the outer edge of M88 can be seen compressing and piling up.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 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
-
Steiger's presentation also highlighted how the district has taken measures to reduce spending, like cutting off purchasing cards and decreasing non-school spending.—
Austin Horn
June 11,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
With decreasing revenue from the gas tax and increasing costs, Behrens said that over the next decade, the state will face a $216 billion shortfall.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
David Fine as Scorpius does an enormous amount of heavy lifting by injecting urgency and pathos, despite his character’s timid personality.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
-
Chances of Musk becoming the world’s first trillionaire were timid when the markets first opened on Kalshi.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
But even as some people recoil from the kinds of characters that have dominated the screen for two decades, Corddry has leaned in.—
Abbey White,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2026
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Shrinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrinking. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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