Word
decrease
Phoneticsde·crease
/ˈdiˌkɹis/
Definitions
01to become smaller
v. to become less in number, amount, or size.
v. to diminish in size, amount, or degree. Intransitive use.
“The number of people smoking has decreased significantly over the last ten years.”
“The population of the rural village decreased steadily as younger generations migrated toward urban centres in search of employment.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'in', as in 'decrease in value'.
02to make something smaller
v. to make something smaller or less.
v. to cause something to become smaller in size, amount, or intensity. Transitive use.
“The company decided to decrease the price of their old phones to sell them faster.”
“The government implemented new policies designed to decrease the national deficit by the end of the fiscal year.”
Usage
Takes a direct object.
03a reduction
n. the process of becoming smaller, or the amount by which something gets smaller.
n. the process of becoming smaller or the specific amount of such a reduction.
“There has been a sharp decrease in the price of petrol this month.”
“Economists noted a significant decrease in consumer spending during the first quarter, suggesting a cooling of the national economy.”
Usage
Commonly followed by 'in' plus a noun phrase.
Pitfall
There was a decrease of the temperature.
There was a decrease in temperature.
Use the preposition 'in' after the noun 'decrease' to show what is getting smaller.
04knitting
n. a way to make a piece of knitting narrower by joining stitches together.
n. a reduction in the number of stitches, typically achieved by knitting two stitches together.
“The pattern says to work a decrease at each end of the next row.”
“To shape the sleeve correctly, the knitter must execute a double decrease every four rows until the desired width is achieved.”
Technical
Usage
Used as a countable noun in patterns.
Teaching tip
This is a highly specialised term used by hobbyists; most learners will only need the general senses.
Antonyms
Real-World Examples
“He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme his organisation had seen a decrease in the number of wildfires emergency services have responded to in the last 72 hours.” “As districts lose students, their costs often don’t decrease in line with their revenues.” “Research has found that some nutrients, like folate and vitamin C, can decrease when stored.” “Can we remove or decrease spaces between atoms or molecules?” Etymology
From Middle English decresen, alteration of discresen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French descreistre (French: décroître), from Latin decrescere.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/decrease