Decrease

5 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Decrease \De*crease"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Decreased}; p. pr. &
     vb. n. {Decreasing}.] [OE. decrecen, fr. OF. decreistre, F.
     d['e]cro[^i]tre, or from the OF. noun (see {Decrease}, n.),
     fr. L. decrescere to grow less; de + crescere to grow. See
     {Crescent}, and cf. {Increase}.]
     To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished


     gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc., or in
     strength, quality, or excellence; as, they days decrease in
     length from June to December.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           He must increase, but I must decrease.   --John iii.
                                                    30.
  
     Syn: To {Decrease}, {Diminish}.
  
     Usage: Things usually decrease or fall off by degrees, and
            from within, or through some cause which is
            imperceptible; as, the flood decreases; the cold
            decreases; their affection has decreased. Things
            commonly diminish by an influence from without, or one
            which is apparent; as, the army was diminished by
            disease; his property is diminishing through
            extravagance; their affection has diminished since
            their separation their separation. The turn of
            thought, however, is often such that these words may
            be interchanged.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  The olive leaf, which certainly them told
                  The flood decreased.              --Drayton.
            [1913 Webster]
  
                  Crete's ample fields diminish to our eye;
                  Before the Boreal blasts the vessels fly.
                                                    --Pope.
            [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Decrease \De*crease"\, v. t.
     To cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as,
     extravagance decreases one's means.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           That might decrease their present store. --Prior.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Decrease \De*crease"\, n. [OE. decrees, OF. decreis, fr.
     decreistre. See {Decrease}, v.]
     1. A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease
        of revenue or of strength.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The wane of the moon. --Bacon.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  decrease
       n 1: a change downward; "there was a decrease in his temperature
            as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in
            sales" [syn: {lessening}, {drop-off}] [ant: {increase}]
       2: a process of becoming smaller or shorter [syn: {decrement}]
          [ant: {increase}, {increase}]
       3: the amount by which something decreases [syn: {decrement}]
          [ant: {increase}]
       4: the act of decreasing or reducing something [syn: {diminution},
           {reduction}, {step-down}] [ant: {increase}]
       v 1: decrease in size, extent, or range; "The amount of homework
            decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin
            pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fall to under a
            hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" [syn: {diminish},
             {lessen}, {fall}] [ant: {increase}]
       2: make smaller; "He decreased his staff" [syn: {lessen}, {minify}]
          [ant: {increase}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  232 Moby Thesaurus words for "decrease":
     abate, abatement, abbreviate, abbreviation, ablate, ablation,
     abrade, abridge, abstract, allay, alleviate, apportion, astriction,
     astringency, attrition, bate, be eaten away, bottleneck, calibrate,
     calibrated, cervix, circumscribe, circumscription, clip, close,
     coarct, coarctation, compact, compactedness, compaction, compress,
     compression, compressure, concentrate, concentration, condensation,
     condense, consolidate, consolidation, constrict, constriction,
     constringe, constringency, consume, consume away, consumption,
     contract, contraction, contracture, corrode, count, cramp, crumble,
     curtail, curtailment, cut, cut back, cut down, cutting, damp,
     dampen, de-escalate, de-escalation, decline, decrement, deduct,
     deflate, deliquesce, deplete, depletion, depreciate, depreciation,
     depress, derogate, derogation, detract, detraction, die away,
     differentiate, diminish, diminuendo, diminution, dip, disparage,
     disparagement, dissipate, dissipation, dive, divide, downgrade,
     drain, draw, draw in, draw together, dribble away, drop, drop off,
     dwindle, dwindling, ease, ease off, ease up, eat away, ebb, erode,
     erosion, evaporation, exhaustion, expenditure, extract, extraction,
     fall, fall away, fall off, falling off, file away, fix,
     gradational, grade, gradual, graduate, graduated, hierarchic,
     hourglass, hourglass figure, impair, impairment, impoverishment,
     increase, isthmus, knit, knitting, languish, leach, leakage,
     lessen, lessening, let up, lighten, lower, lowering, measure,
     melt away, mitigate, narrow, narrow place, narrowing, neck, number,
     parcel, pare, peter out, plummet, plunge, progressive, pucker,
     pucker up, puckering, purify, purse, pursing, quantify, quantize,
     rate, rebate, recede, reduce, reduction, refine, regular,
     remission, remove, retraction, retrench, retrenchment, roll back,
     rub away, run low, sag, scalar, scale down, shade off, shorten,
     shortening, shrink, shrinkage, shrinking, shrivel up, simplify,
     sink, slacken, slackening, solidification, solidify, squander,
     step down, strangle, stranglement, strangulate, strangulation,
     striction, stricture, subduct, subside, subsidence, subtract,
     systole, tail off, take away, take from, taper, taper off, thin,
     thin out, trim, truncation, tune down, using, using up, wane,
     wasp waist, wastage, waste, waste away, wear, wear away, wearing,
     wearing away, weed, withdraw, wrinkle, wrinkling