26984 words

shrink

9 definitions • 14 examples
1
to become smaller, or to make something smaller:

Examples:

Your sweater will shrink if you wash it at too high a temperature.
The company's profits have shrunk from $5.5 million to $1.25 million.
2
to move away from someone or something because you are frightened:

Examples:

The child shrank behind the sofa as his father shouted at him.
When she was younger she would shrink (away) from me whenever I spoke to her.
3
a

Examples:

I was so depressed that I ended up going to see a shrink.
4
to become smaller or cause something to become smaller:

Examples:

[ I ] The show’s audience has shrunk in the last few months.
[ T ] I shrank my sweater by putting it in the dryer!
5
to move away from something unpleasant or frightening:

Examples:

My first reaction was to shrink in disgust at the sight of it.
6
If you shrink from something, you avoid it:

Examples:

Kate’s a good worker, but she seems to shrink from responsibility.
7
a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or psychoanalyst
8

Examples:

Investors fear that profit margins will shrink during the coming quarter.
shrink by sth The economy shrunk by .04% in real terms.
shrink to sth Our share of the US market has shrunk to 27%.
9
to make something smaller:

Examples:

We hope the measures will save money and shrink the company's carbon footprint.

Navigation