# dwindle

/ˈdwɪndəɫ/ (US) · /dwˈɪndəl/ (UK) · CEFR B2 · Verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dwindle
Updated: 2026-10-18

## Definition

to become smaller, weaker, or fewer over time. You use it when something slowly disappears, like money, crowds, or hope.

For teachers: to diminish gradually in size, amount, strength, or number. Implies a slow, continuous decline toward disappearance or a negligible remainder.

## Examples

- Our savings dwindle when we eat out every night.
- The crowd at the market dwindles after sunset as vendors pack up their stalls.
- As funding dwindles year after year, the library reduces its hours and postpones repairs it once completed without hesitation.

## Synonyms

shrink, diminish, decrease, decline, fade

## Antonyms

Grow, Increase, Rise

## Pitfalls

- Not "They dwindled the supplies" but "The supplies dwindled" — Dwindle is intransitive — the subject itself becomes smaller; it cannot take a direct object.

## Usage notes

- Intransitive; takes no direct object. Often followed by 'to', 'away', or 'down to' to mark the endpoint.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.