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 adjective
decliner 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
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

Examples of decline in a Sentence

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
But the meeting ended abruptly, prosecutors said, and the parents declined to bring their son home. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 The jury declined a death penalty verdict and sentenced Hardin to life without parole. Calmatters, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 The Justice Department does not state a reason for declining a case but has said in other court cases that doing so has no bearing on its merits. Fred Schulte, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 Hogsett declined an interview for this story and referred questions to the Airport Authority. Binghui Huang, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 Dempster declined to step down, according to party officials, prompting Fried to suspend him from the job. Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Both crimes declined in 2023, though at the beginning of the new year gun crimes remained about double pre-pandemic levels. Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 Because states fund school districts on a per-pupil basis, declining enrollment means lost revenue. Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 With the majority of transportation using the train lines over the Huron River, business declined and area farmers moved closer to train depots for easier shipping. Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024
Noun
Bezos' net worth has grown by more than $23 billion so far in 2024, while Musk has seen the largest decline among top billionaires this year as Tesla's stock has plunged 26% year-to-date. USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 The losers Meanwhile, Boise, Idaho; New York City; New Orleans; and Stockton, California all saw their over home value decline. Alena Botros, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024 While some observers point to the rise of firms like TSMC and Samsung that invested in foundries, or missed opportunities during the PC boom, Chiang thinks the reason for Japan’s decline is partly due to geopolitics. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 2 Mar. 2024 That intermediate space is also where DaBaby, who in 2021 made homophobic comments onstage at a music festival and experienced a swift career decline, has been living. Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 The study highlighted a significant global decline of 63% on average among five primary shark species inhabiting coral reefs. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 And perhaps this argument finds a receptive audience in segments of the United States concerned about its own decline. Dan Murphy, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 That would be an improvement from the 5.2% revenue decline, to $1.07 billion, in the fourth quarter. Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 29 Feb. 2024 Looking forward, the company expects a decline in sales for all of its manufacturing segments in 2024. Trefis Team, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'decline.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near decline

Cite this Entry

“Decline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decline. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

decline

1 of 2 verb
de·​cline di-ˈklīn How to pronounce decline (audio)
declined; declining
1
a
: to slope downward : descend
b
: to bend down
declined his head
2
: to pass toward a lower state or level
his health declined
their enthusiasm declined
3
: to draw toward a close : wane
the day declined
4
: to become less in amount
prices declined
5
a
: to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to
declined to run for a second term
b
: to refuse especially courteously
declined the offer
6
: to give the declension of a noun, pronoun, or adjective
declinable adjective

decline

2 of 2 noun
1
: the process of declining:
a
: a gradual sinking and wasting away
b
: a change to a lower state or level
2
: the time when something is approaching its end
an empire in decline
3
: a downward slope

Medical Definition

decline

1 of 2 intransitive verb
de·​cline di-ˈklīn How to pronounce decline (audio)
declined; declining
: to tend toward an impaired state or a weaker condition

decline

2 of 2 noun
1
: the process of declining
especially : a gradual physical or mental sinking and wasting away
2
: the period during which the end of life is approaching
3
: a wasting disease
especially : pulmonary tuberculosis

More from Merriam-Webster on decline

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