to decline
- verb
- /dɪˈklaɪn/
- The roof of the building declines at a sharp angle, allowing rainwater to run off easily.
- incline and decline
- gradually decline
Examples
-
The loss of the Ford plant caused the Assembly Square area ("Site") to decline, leaving a vast complex of empty buildings along Mystic and Middlesex Avenues.
Academic text (2001) -
There was only faint light from the window, and he could see the bright beacon of Jupiter declining to the western horizon.
Fiction book (1997) -
Imagine climbing to a tabletop mountain and then walking along its gently declining top.
Blog text (9) -
Forest cover and tree species richness decline to the west, as the luxuriant forests of the Southeast shift gradually toward mixed forests and grasslands, and ultimately to pure grasslands.
Academic text (2012) -
The path declines steeply toward the riverbank, making it difficult to walk.
-
As the sun sets, the landscape declines into shadows, creating a beautiful twilight.
Synonyms
Become less in number or amount
To fall to a lower amount or level
To become less in amount, size, or value
To become lower, for example temperature or prices
To become worse or fall to a lower level
Move from a higher to a lower place
Become less in number, amount, or quality
To move down at an angle
To lean or slant so one side is higher than the other
To become less in number or amount
To become less in amount or quality
To become less over time
To slope up or down at an angle
Moving down from a higher to a lower position
Becoming lower in amount or value
Becoming less in number, size, or strength
Antonyms
Compounds
How Steep
Surface Forms
Etymology
Decline comes from de- 'down' and clinare 'to bend', so it literally means 'to bend down'. That is why to decline can describe a surface or object that slopes downward.