decline

1 of 2

verb

de·​cline di-ˈklīn 

dē-

declined; declining

intransitive verb

1

: to become less in amount

The price of the stock declined.

2

: to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition

his health declined

Employee morale declined after the layoffs.

3

: to withhold consent

We invited him but he declined.

4

a

of a celestial body : to sink toward setting

the declining sun

b

: to draw toward a close : wane

the day declined

5

a

: to slope downward : descend

b

: to bend down : droop

… eyes … declining toward the ground …

—Henry Fielding

c

: to stoop (see stoop entry 1 sense 3b) to what is unworthy

… the direful shameful state Adam declined into …

—Edward Taylor

6

archaic : to turn from a straight course : stray

transitive verb

1

a

: to refuse especially courteously

decline an invitation

declined to give her name to the reporter

b

: to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with

decline battle

2

grammar : to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective)

decline the Latin adjective "brevis"

3

: to cause to bend or bow downward

… the clover … declines its blooms.

—W. C. Bryant

4

obsolete

a

: avert

… evasions are sought to decline the pressure of resistless arguments …

—Samuel Johnson

b

: avoid

… sinners … despairing to decline their fate …

—Thomas Ken

declinable

di-ˈklī-nə-bəl 

adjective

decliner

di-ˈklī-nər 

noun

decline

2 of 2

noun

de·​cline di-ˈklīn 

dē-,

also

ˈdē-ˌklīn 

1

: the process of declining:

a period of economic decline

a decline in the local bird population

a

: a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away

experiencing a mental decline

b

: a change to a lower state or level

the decline of the aristocracy

2

: the period during which something is deteriorating or approaching its end

an empire in decline

3

: a downward slope

built on a slight decline

4

: a wasting disease

especially : pulmonary tuberculosis

Synonyms

Verb

• refuse
• reject

Noun

• deterioration
• weakening

Choose the Right Synonym for decline

Verb

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering.

decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Noun

deterioration, degeneration, decadence, decline mean the falling from a higher to a lower level in quality, character, or vitality.

deterioration implies generally the impairment of value or usefulness.

the deterioration of the house through neglect

degeneration stresses physical, intellectual, or especially moral retrogression.

the degeneration of their youthful idealism into cynicism

decadence presupposes a reaching and passing the peak of development and implies a turn downward with a consequent loss in vitality or energy.

cited love of luxury as a sign of cultural decadence

decline differs from decadence in suggesting a more markedly downward direction and greater momentum as well as more obvious evidence of deterioration.

the meteoric decline of his career after the scandal

Examples of decline in a Sentence

Verb

The construction of new houses declined five percent this year.

The animal's numbers are declining rapidly.

My grandmother's health has been declining since she broke her hip.

The civilization began to decline around 1000 B.C.

The company declined comment on the scandal.

He changed his mind and declined the company's offer.

I invited him, but he declined.

Noun

a period of economic decline

He says that American industry is in a state of decline.

The town fell into decline after the factory closed down.

The economy experienced a decline of two million jobs.

We saw a sharp decline in sales this month.

Declines led advances at the end of the trading day.

There was some decline in stock prices at the end of the trading session.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The important storyline over those weeks is about untapped potential, not declining numbers. —Lindsey Darvin, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025

This story has been updated to note the FBI declined to comment. —James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 July 2025

Noun

On the plus side a decline in auto prices is expected as the demand is now lower after the strong buying in March and April. —Tom Aspray, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025

Policy journals brim with articles about American decline and the advent of multipolarity. —Hal Brands, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French decliner, from Latin declinare to turn aside, inflect, from de- + clinare to incline — more at lean

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 6

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing decline

• in decline
• in terminal decline
• on the decline

Rhymes for decline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine

Kids Definition

decline

1 of 2 verb

de·​cline di-ˈklīn 

declined; declining

1

a

: to slope downward : descend

b

: to bend down

declined his head

2

: to pass toward a lower state or level

his health declined

their enthusiasm declined

3

: to draw toward a close : wane

the day declined

4

: to become less in amount

prices declined

5

a

: to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to

declined to run for a second term

b

: to refuse especially courteously

declined the offer

6

: to give the declension of a noun, pronoun, or adjective

declinable

-ˈklī-nə-bəl 

adjective

decline

2 of 2 noun

1

: the process of declining:

a

: a gradual sinking and wasting away

b

: a change to a lower state or level

2

: the time when something is approaching its end

an empire in decline

3

: a downward slope

Medical Definition

decline

1 of 2 intransitive verb

de·​cline di-ˈklīn 

declined; declining

: to tend toward an impaired state or a weaker condition

decline

2 of 2 noun

1

: the process of declining

especially : a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away

2

: the period during which the end of life is approaching

3

: a wasting disease

especially : pulmonary tuberculosis