decrease

decrease
I UK [diːˈkriːs] / US [dɪˈkrɪs] verb
Word forms "decrease":
present tense I/you/we/they decrease he/she/it decreases present participle decreasing past tense decreased past participle decreased
**
Other ways of saying decrease:
be/go/come down to become less, especially in number, value, or price: Your cholesterol level is down on last month's figure. ♦ I'd like a digital camera, but I'm waiting for the prices to come down. drop/fall to decrease in number or quality, especially by a large amount: falling educational standards ♦ At night the temperature drops to below zero. plummet/plunge (mainly journalism) to decrease suddenly and very quickly: The prime minister's popularity rating has plummeted in recent weeks. ♦ They planned an advertising campaign in an effort to reverse plunging car sales. slump to decrease to a very low level or value, when this is seen as a bad thing: The dollar has slumped to record lows against the yen. dwindle to decrease slowly and steadily until there is almost nothing left: The population of the town has dwindled to about 2,000. ♦ their dwindling supplies of food and fuel decline/be in decline to decrease at a steady rate over a long period: The party's membership has declined by 70 per cent over the last ten years. ♦ The market for cigarettes is in long-term decline.
a) [intransitive] to become less

The number of people visiting the park has decreased significantly.

Prices are expected to decrease by less than 1 per cent this year.

b) [transitive] to reduce something

The new system decreases the risk to public health.


II UK [ˈdiːkriːs] / US [ˈdɪkrɪs] noun [countable/uncountable]
Word forms "decrease":
singular decrease plural decreases
*
Get it right: decrease:
Don't use decrease of when you want to talk about what is decreasing. Use decrease in:
Wrong: The experiment has not led to the expected decrease of crime.
Right: The experiment has not led to the expected decrease in crime.
Wrong: There has been a decrease of the birth rate in the industrialized world.
Right: There has been a decrease in the birth rate in the industrialized world. Use decrease of with a number or percentage, when you want to talk about the amount by which something decreases: These emissions show a decrease of 21 per cent over the past five years. ➡ increase
the process of becoming less, or the amount by which something is less
decrease in:

a decrease in the number of violent crimes

decrease of:

Profits were £1 million, which is a decrease of 5 per cent on last year.


English dictionary. 2014.

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Synonyms:
(gradually), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • decrease — I noun abatement, abbreviation, abridgment, alleviation, attenuation, constriction, contraction, curtailment, cut, cutback, deceleration, declension, declination, decline, decline and fall, decrement, decrescence, deduction, deflation, deminutio …   Law dictionary

  • decrease — vb Decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle denote to make or grow less, but they are not freely interchangeable. Decrease and lessen are often employed in place of any of the others. Decrease normally retains, even in the transitive,… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Decrease — De*crease , v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Decreased}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Decreasing}.] [OE. decrecen, fr. OF. decreistre, F. d[ e]cro[^i]tre, or from the OF. noun (see {Decrease}, n.), fr. L. decrescere to grow less; de + crescere to grow. See {Crescent},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • decrease — [dē krēs′, dikrēs′; ] also, & for n. usually [, dē′krēs΄] vi., vt. decreased, decreasing [ME decresen < OFr decreistre < L decrescere < de , from, away + crescere, grow: see CRESCENT] to become or cause to become less, smaller, etc.;… …   English World dictionary

  • Decrease — De*crease , n. [OE. decrees, OF. decreis, fr. decreistre. See {Decrease}, v.] 1. A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease of revenue or of strength. [1913 Webster] 2. The wane of the moon. Bacon. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Decrease — De*crease , v. t. To cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as, extravagance decreases one s means. [1913 Webster] That might decrease their present store. Prior. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • decrease — [n] diminishing, lessening abatement, compression, condensation, constriction, contraction, cutback, decline, declining, decrescence, depression, diminution, discount, downturn, dwindling, ebb, falling off, loss, reduction, shrinkage, striction,… …   New thesaurus

  • decrease — is pronounced with stress on the first syllable as a noun and on the second syllable as a verb …   Modern English usage

  • decrease — ► VERB ▪ make or become smaller or fewer in size, amount, intensity, or degree. ► NOUN 1) an instance of decreasing. 2) the process of decreasing. ORIGIN Latin decrescere, from crescere grow …   English terms dictionary

  • decrease — ▪ I. decrease de‧crease 2 [ˈdiːkriːs] noun [countable, uncountable] the process of reducing something, or the amount by which it reduces: decrease in • The government announced a 25% decrease in the price of fuel. decrease of • Industrial… …   Financial and business terms

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