shrink

9 definitions • 14 examples

to become smaller, or to make something smaller:

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.

The productivity improvements have shrunk our costs by 25 percent.

to move away from someone or something because you are frightened:

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.

I was so depressed that I ended up going to see a shrink.

to become smaller or cause something to become smaller:

[ I ] The show’s audience has shrunk in the last few months.

[ T ] I shrank my sweater by putting it in the dryer!

to move away from something unpleasant or frightening:

My first reaction was to shrink in disgust at the sight of it.

If you shrink from something, you avoid it:

Kate’s a good worker, but she seems to shrink from responsibility.

a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or psychoanalyst

to become smaller:

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%.

to make something smaller:

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