Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense shrinks, present participle shrinking, past tense shrank, past participle shrunk
1. verb
If cloth or clothing shrinks, it becomes smaller in size, usually as a result of being washed.
All my jumpers have shrunk. [VERB]
2. verb
If something shrinks or something else shrinks it, it becomes smaller.
The vast forests of West Africa have shrunk. [VERB]
Hungary may have to lower its hopes of shrinking its state sector. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: decrease, dwindle, lessen, grow or get smaller More Synonyms of shrink
3. verb
If you shrinkaway from someone or something, you move away from them because you are frightened, shocked, or disgusted by them.
One child shrinks away from me when I try to talk to him. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Siegfried cringed and shrank against the wall. [VERB preposition/adverb]
She shrank back with an involuntary gasp. [VERB preposition/adverb]
4. verb [usu with neg]
If you do not shrinkfrom a task or duty, you do it even though it is unpleasant or dangerous.
We must not shrink from the legitimate use of force if we are to remain credible. [VERB + from]
They didn't shrink from danger. [VERBfrom noun]
5. countable noun
A shrink is a psychiatrist.
[informal]
I've seen a shrink already.
Synonyms: psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist, psychoanalyst More Synonyms of shrink
6. no shrinking violet
shrink in British English
(ʃrɪŋk)
verbWord forms: shrinks, shrinking, shrank, shrunk, shrunk or shrunken
1.
to contract or cause to contract as from wetness, heat, cold, etc
2.
to become or cause to become smaller in size
3. (intransitive; often foll byfrom)
a.
to recoil or withdraw
to shrink from the sight of blood
b.
to feel great reluctance (at)
to shrink from killing an animal
noun
4.
the act or an instance of shrinking
5. slang
a psychiatrist
Derived forms
shrinkable (ˈshrinkable)
adjective
shrinker (ˈshrinker)
noun
shrinking (ˈshrinking)
adjective
shrinkingly (ˈshrinkingly)
adverb
Word origin
Old English scrincan; related to Old Norse skrokkr torso, Old Swedish skrunkin wrinkled, Old Norse hrukka a crease, Icelandic skrukka wrinkled woman
shrink in American English
(ʃrɪŋk) (verbshrank or shrunk, shrunk or shrunken, shrinking)
intransitive verb
1.
to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance
to shrink from danger
to shrink from contact
2.
to contract or lessen in size, as from exposure to conditions of temperature or moisture
This cloth will not shrink if washed in lukewarm water
3.
to become reduced in extent or compass
transitive verb
4.
to cause to shrink or contract; reduce
5. Textiles
to cause (a fabric) to contract during finishing, thus preventing shrinkage, during laundering, of the garments made from it
noun
6.
an act or instance of shrinking
7.
a shrinking movement
8.
shrinkage
9. slang Also: shrinker, head shrinker
a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst
Derived forms
shrinkable
adjective
shrinkingly
adverb
Word origin
[bef. 900; 1955–60 for def. 9; ME schrinken, OE scrincan; c. MD schrinken, Sw skrynka to shrink, Norw skrukka old shrunken woman]
Examples of 'shrink' in a sentence
shrink
Their labour forces will shrink and the economy will slow down.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But being a member of a shrinking minority can feel like being left out in the cold.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
One way to shrink is to reduce the amount of loans to households and small businesses.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
So much for the idea that medieval women were shrinking violets!
Pamela Norris Words Of Love: Passionate Women from Heloise to Sylvia Plath (2006)
You cannot tell people to shrink or become less fit.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Other products might shrink in size so the price can stay fixed.
The Sun (2013)
But the temporary work force is shrinking fast.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Over the next few days my tummy shrinks further back into shape.
The Sun (2006)
None of them is a shrinking violet.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
How come government has shrunk and become more expensive at the same time?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
It will shrink back to a niche business once again.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
His smile vanished as my head seemed to shrink to the size of a pea inside my blazer.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
But the data shows that they were forced to shrink their workforces more quickly than they had expected.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The best way to answer this is to consider where new jobs and economic activity might come from as the public sector shrinks.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The bank has already shrunk its headcount by 1,400 in the first six months.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
It confirmed that the economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The economy shrank by 0.5 per cent in the second quarter.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Locked into declining industries and a shrinking public sector, unions have become ineffective.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In one sense, government has already shrunk.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Gross domestic product shrank by 0.3% in the final three months of last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The economy has already shrunk by nearly 15 per cent since the boom years.
The Sun (2010)
Global reef cover is already shrinking by 1 per cent annually.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
A shrinking public sector is thus facing increasing demands from displaced home owners.
Forrest, Ray & Murie, Alan & Williams, Peter Home-ownership - differentiation and fragmentation (1990)
Mail deliveries are shrinking by 2.5% a year and this trend could increase if more companies and consumers turn to electronic alternatives.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
shrink
British English: shrink /ʃrɪŋk/ VERB
If something shrinks or you shrink it, it becomes smaller.
The vast forests of West Africa have shrunk.
American English: shrink
Arabic: يَتَقَلَّصُ
Brazilian Portuguese: encolher
Chinese: 萎缩
Croatian: smanjiti se
Czech: srazit se praním
Danish: krympe
Dutch: krimpen
European Spanish: encogerse
Finnish: kutistua
French: rétrécir
German: schrumpfen
Greek: ζαρώνω
Italian: restringersi
Japanese: 縮む
Korean: 줄어들다
Norwegian: krympe
Polish: skurczyć się
European Portuguese: encolher
Romanian: a se micșora
Russian: уменьшать(ся)
Latin American Spanish: encoger
Swedish: krympa
Thai: หด
Turkish: çekmek
Ukrainian: зменшувати(ся)
Vietnamese: co lại
British English: shrink NOUN
A shrink is a psychiatrist.
I've seen a shrink already.
American English: shrink
Brazilian Portuguese: psicanalista
Chinese: 精神病医生
European Spanish: loquero
French: psychanalyste
German: Psychiater
Italian: strizzacervelli
Japanese: 精神科医
Korean: 정신과 의사
European Portuguese: psicanalista
Latin American Spanish: loquero
All related terms of 'shrink'
shrink fit
a tight fit of a collar or wheel boss on a shaft obtained by expanding the collar or boss by heating to enable it to be threaded onto the shaft and then allowing it to cool , or by freezing the shaft to reduce its diameter to enable it to be threaded into the collar or boss and then allowing the shaft temperature to rise
shrink wrap
to package (a product) in a flexible plastic wrapping designed to shrink about its contours to protect and seal it
shrink-wrapped
A shrink-wrapped product is sold in a tight covering of thin plastic.
shrink-wrapping
a flexible plastic wrapping designed to shrink about the contours of a product to protect and seal it
shrink a budget
Your budget is the amount of money that you have available to spend . The budget for something is the amount of money that a person, organization , or country has available to spend on it.
Chinese translation of 'shrink'
shrink
(ʃrɪŋk)
Word forms:ptshrank
Word forms:ppshrunk
vi
[cloth]缩(縮)水 (suōshuǐ)
[forests, profits, audiences etc]减(減)少 (jiǎnshǎo)
to shrink away/back退缩(縮)/畏缩(縮) (tuìsuō/wèisuō)
vt
[cloth]使皱(皺)缩(縮) (shǐ zhòusuō)
n(c)
(inf, pej) 精神病医(醫)生 (jīngshénbìng yīshēng)
not to shrink from sth不回(迴)避某事 (bù huíbì mǒushì)
(verb)
Definition
to become or cause to become smaller, sometimes because of wetness, heat, or cold
The vast forests have shrunk.
Synonyms
decrease
The medication is said to decrease the risk of heart attack.
dwindle
The factory's workforce has dwindled.
lessen
Keep immunisations up to date to lessen the risk of serious illness.
grow or get smaller
contract
Output fell last year and is expected to contract further this year.
narrow
diminish
The threat of war has diminished.
fall off
Unemployment is rising again and retail buying has fallen off.
shorten
The day surgery will help to shorten waiting lists.
wrinkle
wither
His leg muscles had withered from lack of use.
drop off
The toll of casualties has dropped off sharply.
deflate
The balloon began to deflate.
shrivel
The plant shrivels and dies.
downsize
Opposites
increase,
expand
,
grow
,
stretch
,
swell
,
balloon
,
mushroom
,
enlarge
,
inflate
,
dilate
,
distend
(noun)
Definition
a psychiatrist
(informal)
I've seen a shrink already.
Synonyms
psychiatrist
He has been seeing a psychiatrist for years.
psychologist
psychotherapist
psychoanalyst
head shrinker (informal)
Phrasal verbs
See shrink back
See shrink from something or someone
Additional synonyms
in the sense of contract
Definition
to make or become smaller, narrower, or shorter
Output fell last year and is expected to contract further this year.
Synonyms
lessen,
reduce,
shrink,
diminish,
decrease,
dwindle
in the sense of deflate
Definition
to collapse or cause to collapse through the release of gas
The balloon began to deflate.
Synonyms
collapse,
go down,
contract,
empty,
shrink,
void,
flatten
in the sense of diminish
Definition
to make or become smaller, fewer, or less
The threat of war has diminished.
Synonyms
decrease,
decline,
lessen,
contract,
weaken,
shrink,
dwindle,
wane,
recede,
subside,
ebb,
taper,
die out,
fade away,
abate,
peter out
Synonyms of 'shrink'
shrink
Explore 'shrink' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of drop off
Definition
to decrease or decline
The toll of casualties has dropped off sharply.
Synonyms
decrease,
lower,
decline,
shrink,
diminish,
fall off,
dwindle,
lessen,
wane,
subside,
slacken
in the sense of dwindle
Definition
to grow less in size, strength, or number
The factory's workforce has dwindled.
Synonyms
lessen,
fall,
decline,
contract,
sink,
fade,
weaken,
shrink,
diminish,
decrease,
decay,
wither,
wane,
subside,
ebb,
die down,
die out,
abate,
shrivel,
peter out,
die away,
waste away,
taper off,
grow less
in the sense of fall off
Definition
to decrease in size or intensity
Unemployment is rising again and retail buying has fallen off.
Synonyms
decrease,
drop,
reduce,
decline,
fade,
slump,
weaken,
shrink,
diminish,
dwindle,
lessen,
wane,
subside,
fall away,
peter out,
slacken,
tail off (informal),
ebb away,
go down or downhill
in the sense of lessen
Definition
to make or become less
Keep immunisations up to date to lessen the risk of serious illness.
Synonyms
reduce,
lower,
diminish,
decrease,
relax,
ease,
narrow,
moderate,
dial down,
weaken,
erode,
impair,
degrade,
minimize,
curtail,
lighten,
wind down,
abridge,
de-escalate
in the sense of shorten
Definition
to make or become short or shorter
The day surgery will help to shorten waiting lists.