Meanings
verbdecrease (third-person singular simple present decreases, present participle decreasing, simple past and past participle decreased)
present singular third person decreases · participle present decreasing · participle past decreased · past decreased
- transitiveTo make (a quantity) smaller.
Let's decrease the volume a little so we can hear each other talking.
Synonyms: abate
noundecrease (countable and uncountable, plural decreases)
plural decreases
- countableuncountableAn amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased.
After six years of constant growth, the company reported a slight decrease in sales last year.
1 more example
One research team has recorded Baishui’s decrease at about 27 meters per year over the last 10 years.
Synonyms: cut, decline, decrement, drop, fall, loss, lowering, reduction
Synonyms & antonyms
verbOf a quantity, to become smaller.
Similar
verbTo make (a quantity) smaller.
Similar
nounAn amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased.
antonym(s) of
Opposite
Broader
antonym(s) of “amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased”
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe act of decreasing or reducing something
Similar
Opposite
Broader
change of magnitude
verbdecrease in size, extent, or range
Opposite
Broader
change magnitude
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindecrescere
- Old Frenchdescreistre
- Middle Englishdecresen
- Englishdecrease
From Middle English decresen, alteration of discresen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French descreistre (French: décroître), from Latin decrescere.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek μινύθω, ἐλάττωσις
- μινύθω (minúthō)become smaller
- ἐλάττωσις (eláttōsis)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Bulgarian намаля́вам се, намаля́вам
- намаля́вам се (namaljávam se)become smaller
- намаля́вам (namaljávam)make smaller
- намаляване (namaljavane)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- намаление (namalenie)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Catalan decréixer, disminuir
- decréixerbecome smaller
- disminuirbecome smaller
- disminuirmake smaller
- disminucióamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- decreixençaamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Chinese Mandarin 減少 /减少, 下降
- 減少 /减少 (jiǎnshǎo)become smaller
- 下降 (xiàjiàng)become smaller
- 減少 /减少 (jiǎnshǎo)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Czech snížit
- snížitmake smaller
Danish formindske, forringe
- formindskebecome smaller
- forringebecome smaller
Dutch afnemen, verminderen
- afnemenbecome smaller
- verminderenbecome smaller
- verminderenmake smaller
Esperanto malpliiĝi, malaltiĝi
- malpliiĝibecome smaller
- malaltiĝibecome smaller
- malpliigimake smaller
- malaltigimake smaller
Finnish vähentyä, pienentyä
- vähentyäbecome smaller
- pienentyäbecome smaller
- pienetäbecome smaller
- vähetäbecome smaller
- laskeamake smaller
- vähentäämake smaller
- pienentäämake smaller
- laskuamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- vähenemäamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- vähennysamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
French diminuer, diminuer
- diminuerbecome smaller
- diminuermake smaller
- réduiremake smaller
German abnehmen, verringern
- abnehmenbecome smaller
- verringernmake smaller
- Verringerungamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Greek μειώνομαι, λιγοστεύω
- μειώνομαι (meiónomai)become smaller
- λιγοστεύω (ligostévo)become smaller
- μειώνω (meióno)make smaller
- ελαττώνω (elattóno)make smaller
Hebrew פחת, הפחית
- פחת (pakhát)become smaller
- הפחית (hifkhít)make smaller
Hindi घटना, घटाना
- घटना (ghaṭnā)become smaller
- घटाना (ghaṭānā)make smaller
- कटौती (kaṭautī)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- घाटा (ghāṭā)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Hungarian csökken, csökkent
- csökkenbecome smaller
- csökkentmake smaller
- csökkenésamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Irish laghdaigh, laghdaigh
- laghdaighbecome smaller
- laghdaighmake smaller
- laghdúamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Italian diminuire, calare
- diminuirebecome smaller
- calarebecome smaller
- diminuiremake smaller
- far calaremake smaller
- ribassaremake smaller
- ridurremake smaller
- decrementaremake smaller
- diminuzioneamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- caloamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- ribassoamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- riduzioneamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Japanese 減少する, 減る
- 減少する (genshō suru)become smaller
- 減る (heru)become smaller
- 減少させる (genshō saseru)make smaller
- 減らす (herasu)make smaller
- 減少 (genshō)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Latin dēcrēmentum
- dēcrēmentumamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Lithuanian mažinti
- mažintibecome smaller
Māori pāitiiti, ero
- pāitiitibecome smaller
- eroamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Norwegian forminske, forringe
- forminskebecome smaller
- forringebecome smaller
- forringelseamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Persian کاستن, کاهش
- کاستن (kâstan)become smaller
- کاهش (kâheš)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Polish zmniejszać się, zmniejszyć się
- zmniejszać siębecome smaller
- zmniejszyć siębecome smaller
- zmniejszaćmake smaller
- zmniejszyćmake smaller
- spadekamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- ubytekamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Portuguese diminuir, reduzir
- diminuirbecome smaller
- reduzirbecome smaller
- diminuirmake smaller
- reduzirmake smaller
- reduçãoamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- diminuiçãoamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Romanian descrește, scădea
- descreștebecome smaller
- scădeabecome smaller
Russian уменьша́ться, уме́ньшиться
- уменьша́ться (umenʹšátʹsja)become smaller
- уме́ньшиться (uménʹšitʹsja)become smaller
- снижа́ться (snižátʹsja)become smaller
- сни́зиться (snízitʹsja)become smaller
- понижа́ться (ponižátʹsja)become smaller
- пони́зиться (ponízitʹsja)become smaller
- уменьша́ть (umenʹšátʹ)make smaller
- уме́ньшить (uménʹšitʹ)make smaller
- понижа́ть (ponižátʹ)make smaller
- пони́зить (ponízitʹ)make smaller
- снижа́ть (snižátʹ)make smaller
- сни́зить (snízitʹ)make smaller
- уменьше́ние (umenʹšénije)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- сниже́ние (snižénije)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Spanish mermar[se], descrecer
- mermar[se]become smaller
- descrecerbecome smaller
- decrecerbecome smaller
- decrementarsebecome smaller
- mermarmake smaller
- decrementarmake smaller
- disminuciónamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- mermaamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Swedish minska, minska
- minskabecome smaller
- minskamake smaller
- förringamake smaller
- minskningamount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Turkish azalmak, düşmek
- azalmakbecome smaller
- düşmekbecome smaller
- azaltmakmake smaller
- düşürmekmake smaller
Ukrainian зме́ншення, зни́ження
- зме́ншення (zménšennja)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
- зни́ження (znýžennja)amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased
Vietnamese hạ
- hạmake smaller
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with decrease
releaseincreasenicepeaceGreeceleasefleececeaseMauricegreasereeseobeseysniececapricecreaseRhysapiecefilsmetisanisecerisemeesedecease
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
decrease. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrease
MLA
“decrease.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrease. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “decrease,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/decrease.
Source: decrease on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.