1
as in to compress
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter
the sweater will shrink a little when washed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to flinch
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
shrinking back from the approaching flames
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to decrease
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shrink
Many Democrats have said Republicans and Trump will cut various entitlements as part of efforts to shrink the federal government, reduce the national debt, and limit government spending.
—
John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
At the same time, the administration has shrunk much of the nation’s complex early-warning system for cyberattacks, a web through which tech firms work with the F.B.I. and intelligence agencies to protect the power grid, pipelines and telecommunications networks.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
But the value of these grants has plummeted since 2010, when the former Conservative government embarked on a decade of austerity designed to shrink the country’s debts following the financial crisis.
—Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
Trump picked Musk to oversee a push to shrink the federal government, cull the federal workforce and slash spending on agencies disfavored by the White House, prompting a flurry of legal action.
—Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrink
John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
At the same time, the administration has shrunk much of the nation’s complex early-warning system for cyberattacks, a web through which tech firms work with the F.B.I. and intelligence agencies to protect the power grid, pipelines and telecommunications networks.
—David E. Sanger, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2025
But the value of these grants has plummeted since 2010, when the former Conservative government embarked on a decade of austerity designed to shrink the country’s debts following the financial crisis.
—Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
Trump picked Musk to oversee a push to shrink the federal government, cull the federal workforce and slash spending on agencies disfavored by the White House, prompting a flurry of legal action.
—Amelia Thomson-Deveaux, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrink
Verb
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For complex tasks, the smartphone can further compress the latent representations and forward them to cloud servers for specialized processing (e.g., full document OCR or advanced medical diagnostics).—
Wei Duan,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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More importantly, compressed monthly changes highlight the general lack of homebuying demand that continues to characterize the current housing market.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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When UConn, national champs the last two years, appears on the screen on Selection Sunday, probably as a No. 8 seed, their first-, and potential second-round opponent may flinch, for a moment, at seeing the Huskies’ brand in their bracket.—
Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2025
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Witnesses to Utah’s last firing squad execution recently recalled to NBC News the sound of rapid gunfire in the chamber and how the inmate, Ronnie Lee Gardner, appeared to flinch and move his arm after being shot.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In terms of a mechanism, the rejection seems to decrease levels of a neuropeptide in the brain, which increases after mating, leading Heberlein et al.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 Apr. 2025
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Keeping those cuts on the books would decrease revenue by $4.5 trillion from 2025 through 2034, according to estimates from the Tax Foundation.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The following interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
8 Apr. 2025
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This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.—
Quispe López,
Them.,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Just look at what could’ve been the game-winning 3-pointer: The entire nation, minus Gator fans, winced at that.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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City officials winced at the thought of heavy military equipment rolling on streets.—
Cuneyt Dil,
Axios,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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As time went on, her pain diminished, but August decided to go to the emergency room.—
Vanessa Etienne,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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The VMAs, which have seen their social capital diminish over the past few years, delivered a promising ceremony in 2024.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Benson Boone is wearing another constricting pair of pants.—
Jack Irvin,
People.com,
18 Mar. 2025
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There, themes previously constricted by plot flow more freely, as if Jacobs-Jenkins is getting to a backlog of notes after the fact.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
17 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Markets recoiled at the developments, sending stocks into a vicious two-day sell-off that put the Nasdaq Composite, home to powerhouse Silicon Valley names that Trump has been courting in the early days of his second term, into a bear market.—
Erin Doherty,Annika Kim Constantino,Yun Li,
CNBC,
5 Apr. 2025
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When others recoiled in disgust from sick and suffering people, the Buddha cared for them, showing that healing and dignity come from love.—
Rabbi Dana Magat,
The Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shrink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrink. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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