to decline
1
3.4
- 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
∞
2.8
To become lower, for example temperature or prices
602
1.0
To fall to a lower amount or level
592
1.0
Become less in number or amount
389
1.9
To become less in amount, size, or value
169
2.7
Move from a higher to a lower place
99
3.5
To become worse or fall to a lower level
59
2.7
To move down at an angle
39
1.8
Becoming lower in amount or value
24
2.6
Become less in number, amount, or quality
22
4.3
To become less in amount or quality
21
3.5
To become less in number or amount
13
3.2
Moving down from a higher to a lower position
12
2.3
Becoming less in number, size, or strength
11
1.7
To lean or slant so one side is higher than the other
4
3.3
To become less over time
2
3.9
To slope up or down at an angle
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.