Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense declines, present participle declining, past tense, past participle declined
1. verb
If something declines, it becomes less in quantity, importance, or strength.
The number of staff has declined from 217,000 to 114,000. [VERB + from]
Hourly output by workers declined 1.3% in the first quarter. [VERB amount]
Union membership and union power are declining fast. [VERB]
...a declining birth rate. [VERB-ing]
[Also V + to/by]
Synonyms: fall, fail, drop, contract More Synonyms of decline
2. verb
If you decline something or declineto do something, you politely refuse to accept it or do it.
[formal]
He declined their invitation. [VERB noun]
The band declined to comment on the story. [VERB to-infinitive]
He offered the boys some coffee. They declined politely. [VERB]
Synonyms: refuse, reject, turn down, avoid More Synonyms of decline
3. variable noun
If there is a declinein something, it becomes less in quantity, importance, or quality.
There wasn't such a big decline in enrollments after all. [+ in]
...Rome's decline in the fifth century.
The first signs of economic decline became visible.
Synonyms: deterioration, fall, failing, slump More Synonyms of decline
4.
See in decline/on the decline
5.
See into decline
More Synonyms of decline
decline in British English
(dɪˈklaɪn)
verb
1.
to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely
2. (intransitive)
to grow smaller; diminish
demand has declined over the years
3.
to slope or cause to slope downwards
4. (intransitive)
to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character
5. grammar
to state or list the inflections of (a noun, adjective, or pronoun), or (of a noun, adjective, or pronoun) to be inflected for number, case, or gender
Compare conjugate (sense 1)
noun
6.
gradual deterioration or loss
7.
a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution
8.
a downward slope; declivity
9. archaic
any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis
Derived forms
declinable (deˈclinable)
adjective
decliner (deˈcliner)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French decliner to inflect, turn away, sink, from Latin dēclīnāre to bend away, inflect grammatically
decline in American English
(diˈklaɪn; dɪˈklaɪn)
verb intransitiveWord forms: deˈclined or deˈclining
1.
to bend, turn, or slope downward or aside
2.
a.
to sink, as the setting sun
b.
to approach the end; wane
the day is declining
3.
to lessen in force, health, value, etc.; deteriorate; decay
4.
to descend to behavior that is base or immoral
5.
to refuse to accept or do something, esp. in a way that is formally polite
verb transitive
6.
to cause to bend or slope downward or aside
7.
to refuse, esp. in a formally polite way
I must decline your offer
8. Grammar
to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective) systematically, giving its different formsaccording to case, number, and gender
noun
9.
a declining or becoming less, smaller, etc.; decay
10.
a failing of health, etc.
11.
a period of decline
12.
the last part
the decline of life
13. Archaic
a wasting disease
14.
a downward slope
SYNONYMY NOTE: decline implies courtesy in expressing one's nonacceptance of an invitation, proposal, etc.[he declined the nomination]; refuse1 is a more direct, sometimes even blunt term, implying an emphatic denial of a request,demand, etc. [to refuse a person money]; reject stresses a negative or antagonistic attitude and implies positive refusal to accept,use, believe, etc. [they rejected the damaged goods]; repudiate implies the disowning, disavowal, or casting off with condemnation of a person orthing as having no authority, worth, validity, truth, etc. [to repudiate the claims of faith healers]; to spurn is to refuse or reject with contempt or disdain [she spurned his attentions]
OPPOSITE: accept
Derived forms
decliner (deˈcliner)
noun
Word origin
ME declinen < OFr decliner, to bend, turn aside < L declinare, to bend from, inflect < de-, from (see de-) + clinare, to bend: see lean1
COBUILD Collocations
decline
cognitive decline
gradual decline
halt decline
Examples of 'decline' in a sentence
decline
The bank declined to comment on the case.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
An alleged sharp decline in the quality of golf tuition after the abrupt departure of experienced coaches.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The club declined to say how many banning letters have been sent.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The causes of the decline are threefold.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She declined to comment when we approached her last night.
The Sun (2016)
The gradual decline has not surprised him, not least because of the way smokers have been lectured to from on high.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
More than a million people work in call centres and they're often in areas that suffered big job losses from industrial decline.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is injected into the muscle and slowly leaks out into the circulation, so it has a peak and then slowly declines.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Numbers are declining in eastern and central Africa but increasing in southern and west Africa.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Since a drug was invented to treat river blindness in the 1970s, the disease has declined dramatically.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
The retailer declined to comment on its plans.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The official reasons given for songbird decline are habitat loss and modern farming methods.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Its importance declined after his overthrow and it was shut three times in the following decade.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The gradual decline of former champions has become an integral part of the circle of sporting life.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The decline in numbers was also driven by changes in attitudes towards mental illness.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We must accept that the decline of political honesty and political reporting is inevitable.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The firm declined to say how many staff it employs.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
We politely decline his offer to share and grimace at each other.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Yet the increase in spending seems to have coincided with a decline in quality.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
What are the causes of the decline of literature?
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This was the fifth monthly decline in the past year.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The hospital declined to comment on his condition.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
So far we have seen a gradual decline in some elements of quality.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It is true that there has been a decline in the number of sightings in recent years.
The Sun (2012)
The study could help the design of pills or supplements to stave off heart disease and mental decline.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Such funds are really a way of securing diversified funds when the importance of oil declines in the future.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Industries that have passed their peak decline slowly and are being held up by theoverall buoyancy of the economy.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Experts blame the decline on the loss of nesting sites in eaves of old building due to repairs or demolition.
The Sun (2009)
They are expected to show sales declined 0.5% last month.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
These particular problems have to be seen in the context of the area's progressive decline.
Tom Cannon Basic Marketing. Principles and Practice (1986)
For the next century it quietly declined, relying for its income on essentially local traffic.
Atterbury, Paul Exploring Britain's Canals (1994)
This is a recipe for long-term economic decline.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Manufacturing output declined by 0.6%.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
During this century the decline of the docks also reflected changes in the pattern of world trade, and changes in technology.
Brindley,Tim & Rydin, Yvonne & Stoker, Gerry Remaking Planning: the politics of urban change in the Thatcher years (1989)
This would allow hundreds of elderly people to avoid progressive cognitive decline that is highly distressing to them and their families, and to lead independent lives.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
decline
British English: decline VERB
If something declines, it becomes less in quantity, importance, or strength.
The number of staff has declined from 217,000 to 114,000.
American English: decline
Brazilian Portuguese: diminuir
Chinese: 下降
European Spanish: disminuir
French: baisser
German: zurückgehen
Italian: diminuire
Japanese: 減退する
Korean: 줄다
European Portuguese: diminuir
Latin American Spanish: disminuir
British English: decline NOUN
If there is a decline in something, it becomes less in quantity, importance, or quality.
There wasn't such a big decline in enrollments after all.
American English: decline
Brazilian Portuguese: declínio
Chinese: 下降趋势
European Spanish: disminución
French: déclin
German: Rückgang
Italian: declino
Japanese: 減退
Korean: 감소
European Portuguese: declínio
Latin American Spanish: disminución
All related terms of 'decline'
halt decline
If there is a decline in something, it becomes less in quantity, importance , or quality.
into decline
If something goes or falls into decline , it begins to gradually decrease in importance , quality , or power .
gradual decline
If there is a decline in something, it becomes less in quantity, importance , or quality.
cognitive decline
If there is a decline in something, it becomes less in quantity, importance , or quality.
decline a request
If you make a request , you politely or formally ask someone to do something.
in decline/on the decline
If something is in decline or on the decline , it is gradually decreasing in importance , quality , or power .
Chinese translation of 'decline'
decline
(dɪˈklaɪn)
n
a decline in sth某物的下降 (mǒuwù de xiàjiàng)
vt
(= turn down)[invitation, offer]谢(謝)绝(絕) (xièjué)
vi
[strength, health]衰退 (shuāituì)
[business, population]萎缩(縮) (wěisuō)
to be on the decline/in decline正在衰落 (zhèngzài shuāiluò)
to fall into decline衰弱 (shuāiruò)
to decline to do sth婉言拒绝(絕)做某事 (wǎnyán jùjué zuò mǒushì)
1 (verb)
Definition
to become smaller, weaker, or less important
a declining birth rate
Synonyms
fall
Her weight fell as she excerised more and ate healthily.
fail
He was 93 and his health was failing rapidly.
drop
Temperatures can drop to freezing at night.
contract
Output fell last year and is expected to contract further this year.
lower
The new measures will lower the risk.
sink
Our hopes were sinking fast.
flag
His enthusiasm was in no way flagging.
fade
After that all her worries faded away.
shrink
The vast forests have shrunk.
diminish
The threat of war has diminished.
decrease
Population growth is decreasing each year.
slow down
fall off
Unemployment is rising again and retail buying has fallen off.
dwindle
The factory's workforce has dwindled.
lessen
The burden will lessen if you ask someone for help.
wane
His interest in art to wane.
ebb
There were occasions when my enthusiasm ebbed.
slacken
Inflationary pressures continued to slacken last month.
Opposites
rise
, increase
2 (verb)
Definition
to become smaller, weaker, or less important
Her father's health has declined significantly in recent months.
Synonyms
deteriorate
There are fears that the situation may deteriorate.
fade
weaken
The storm was finally beginning to weaken.
Family structures are weakening and breaking up.
pine
The dog pines terribly whenever we leave.
decay
The work ethic in this country has decayed over the past 30 years.
worsen
The security forces had to intervene to prevent the situation from worsening.
lapse
The house lapsed into disarray through lack of care.
languish
He continues to languish in prison.
degenerate
The argument degenerated into a fist fight.
droop
Support for him is beginning to droop amongst voters.
Opposites
improve
3 (verb)
Definition
to politely refuse to accept or do (something)
He declined their invitation.
Synonyms
refuse
She was refused access to her children.
reject
Paloma has rejected the values of her rich parents.
turn down
avoid
deny
She denied the children access to her study.
spurn
a spurned lover
abstain
forgo
send your regrets
say `no'
Opposites
agree to
,
accept
,
consent
4 (verb)
Synonyms
slope
The street must have been on a slope.
sink
Pay increases have sunk to around seven per cent.
dip
a path which suddenly dips down into a tunnel
descend
The path descended steeply to the rushing river.
slant
The morning sun slanted through the glass roof.
1 (noun)
Definition
a gradual weakening or loss
The first signs of economic decline became visible.
Synonyms
depression
He never forgot the hardships he witnessed during the depression.
recession
The recession caused sales to drop off.
slump
Even in the slump, some jobs were being created.
falling off
downturn
dwindling
lessening
a lessening of tension on the border
diminution
a slight diminution in asset value
abatement
Demand for the product shows no sign of abatement.
Opposites
rise
,
upswing
2 (noun)
Definition
a gradual weakening or loss
Rome's decline in the fifth century.
Synonyms
deterioration
the rapid deterioration in relations between the two countries
fall
There was a sharp fall in the value of the pound.
failing
slump
a slump in property prices
weakening
decay
problems of urban decay
worsening
descent
his swift descent from respected academic to social pariah
downturn
disintegration
degeneration
the degeneration of our political system
atrophy
exercises to avoid atrophy of cartilage
decrepitude
The buildings had been allowed to fall into decrepitude.
retrogression
enfeeblement
Opposites
improvement
3 (noun)
Synonyms
consumption (old-fashioned)
an opera about a poet dying of consumption in a garret
tuberculosis
She spent two years in a sanatorium recovering from tuberculosis.
phthisis
4 (noun)
Synonyms
slope
a mountain slope
hill
the shady street that led up the hill to the office building
incline
I came to a halt at the edge of a steep incline.
declivity
phrase
See in decline or on the decline
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abatement
Demand for the product shows no sign of abatement.
Synonyms
decrease,
slowing,
decline,
easing,
sinking,
fading,
weakening,
relaxation,
dwindling,
lessening,
waning,
subsiding,
ebbing,
cessation,
let-up (informal),
slackening,
diminution,
tapering off,
attenuation
in the sense of atrophy
Definition
a wasting away of a physical organ or part
exercises to avoid atrophy of cartilage
Synonyms
wasting away,
decline,
wasting,
decay,
decaying,
withering,
deterioration,
meltdown (informal),
shrivelling,
degeneration,
diminution
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.