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TOEFL IELTS BNC: 2190 COCA: 2000

decline

1 of 2

verb

de·​cline di-ˈklīn How to pronounce decline (audio)
dē-
declined; declining

intransitive verb

1
: to become less in amount
The price of the stock declined.
2
: to tend toward an inferior state or weaker condition
his health declined
Employee morale declined after the layoffs.
3
: to withhold consent
We invited him but he declined.
4
a
of a celestial body : to sink toward setting
the declining sun
b
: to draw toward a close : wane
the day declined
5
a
: to slope downward : descend
b
: to bend down : droop
… eyes … declining toward the ground … Henry Fielding
c
: to stoop (see stoop entry 1 sense 3b) to what is unworthy
… the direful shameful state Adam declined into … Edward Taylor
6
archaic : to turn from a straight course : stray

transitive verb

1
a
: to refuse especially courteously
decline an invitation
declined to give her name to the reporter
b
: to refuse to undertake, undergo, engage in, or comply with
decline battle
2
grammar : to give in prescribed order the grammatical forms of (a noun, pronoun, or adjective)
decline the Latin adjective "brevis"
3
: to cause to bend or bow downward
… the clover … declines its blooms. W. C. Bryant
4
obsolete
a
: avert
… evasions are sought to decline the pressure of resistless arguments … Samuel Johnson
b
: avoid
… sinners … despairing to decline their fate … Thomas Ken
declinable
di-ˈklī-nə-bəl How to pronounce decline (audio)
adjective
decliner
di-ˈklī-nər How to pronounce decline (audio)
noun

decline

2 of 2

noun

de·​cline di-ˈklīn How to pronounce decline (audio)
dē-,
also
ˈdē-ˌklīn How to pronounce decline (audio)
1
: the process of declining:
a period of economic decline
a decline in the local bird population
a
: a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away
experiencing a mental decline
b
: a change to a lower state or level
the decline of the aristocracy
2
: the period during which something is deteriorating or approaching its end
an empire in decline
3
: a downward slope
built on a slight decline
4
: a wasting disease
especially : pulmonary tuberculosis

Synonyms

Verb

Noun

Choose the Right Synonym for decline

Verb

decline, refuse, reject, repudiate, spurn mean to turn away by not accepting, receiving, or considering.

decline often implies courteous refusal especially of offers or invitations.

declined his party's nomination

refuse suggests more positiveness or ungraciousness and often implies the denial of something asked for.

refused to lend them the money

reject implies a peremptory refusal by sending away or discarding.

rejected the manuscript as unpublishable

repudiate implies a casting off or disowning as untrue, unauthorized, or unworthy of acceptance.

teenagers who repudiate the values of their parents

spurn stresses contempt or disdain in rejection or repudiation.

spurned his overtures of friendship

Noun

deterioration, degeneration, decadence, decline mean the falling from a higher to a lower level in quality, character, or vitality.

deterioration implies generally the impairment of value or usefulness.

the deterioration of the house through neglect

degeneration stresses physical, intellectual, or especially moral retrogression.

the degeneration of their youthful idealism into cynicism

decadence presupposes a reaching and passing the peak of development and implies a turn downward with a consequent loss in vitality or energy.

cited love of luxury as a sign of cultural decadence

decline differs from decadence in suggesting a more markedly downward direction and greater momentum as well as more obvious evidence of deterioration.

the meteoric decline of his career after the scandal

Example Sentences

Verb The construction of new houses declined five percent this year. The animal's numbers are declining rapidly. My grandmother's health has been declining since she broke her hip. The civilization began to decline around 1000 B.C. The company declined comment on the scandal. He changed his mind and declined the company's offer. I invited him, but he declined. Noun a period of economic decline He says that American industry is in a state of decline. The town fell into decline after the factory closed down. The economy experienced a decline of two million jobs. We saw a sharp decline in sales this month. Declines led advances at the end of the trading day. There was some decline in stock prices at the end of the trading session. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Arthur Less, the protagonist of Andrew Sean Greer’s Pulitzer-winning 2017 novel Less, cobbled together an around-the-world tour as an excuse to decline an invitation to the wedding of an ex-boyfriend. Chloe Schama, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2022 Other data from companies like Apartment List, which tracks prices of new apartments and leases, suggests that rental price inflation is starting to decline. Christopher Rugaber, ajc, 13 Sep. 2022 Other data from companies like Apartment List, which tracks prices of new apartments and leases, suggests that rental price inflation is starting to decline. Christopher Rugaber, Anchorage Daily News, 13 Sep. 2022 Our agave plant has a tall flower stalk that is starting to decline. Tom Maccubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 10 Sep. 2022 My daughters decided on their own to decline the invitation. Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 My daughters decided on their own to decline the invitation. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022 My daughters decided on their own to decline the invitation. Amy Dickinson, cleveland, 9 Sep. 2022 An insurer, however, is free to decline to renew your policy but only after giving you at least 45 days’ notice prior to expiration. Sean P. Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2022
Noun
Aging monkeys experience cognitive, physical and sensory decline as well as a variety of illnesses, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, much like aging people. Agnès Lacreuse, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2022 Imagine if this anonymous staffer were given an op-ed in the New York Times to claim that a cadre of old-time Democrats were shocked by Biden’s cognitive decline and resisting his directives. Michael Silver, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Aug. 2022 There was good news as well: The study found almost no cognitive decline in dogs below the age of 10. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 26 Aug. 2022 The condition can also cause cognitive decline over time. Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 20 Aug. 2022 Other researchers have also reported amyloid in the retinas of people whose PET scans show amyloid plaques but who do not show signs of cognitive decline. Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2022 Even though hearing loss can lead to depression, cognitive decline, and social isolation. Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2022 Health experts say that untreated hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline and depression in older people. Christina Jewett, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2022 Over that time period, people who continually worked low wage jobs toward the end of their life suffered one more year of cognitive decline than those who did not work low wage jobs. Christine Mui, Fortune, 5 Aug. 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French decliner, from Latin declinare to turn aside, inflect, from de- + clinare to incline — more at lean

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 6

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of decline was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing decline

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