to dwindle away
1
4.6
- phrasal verb
- /ˈdwɪndəl əˈweɪ/
:
disminuir
- As the summer heat set in, the water in the pond started to dwindle away until there was barely a puddle left.
- the herd dwindled away finally
Examples
-
Do you know the odds are against us, Nathaniel, that the Germans get stronger while we dwindle away?
-
Our water supply mysteriously began to dwindle away.
Fiction book (1991) -
What little money they had saved dwindled away.
Fiction book (1995) -
Dan felt what little weight remained dwindle away to nothing.
Fiction book (2001) -
Frank's life insurance money was dwindling away on living expenses.
-
And every year your greed grew, and you caught more, and finally the herd dwindled away.
Fiction book (1994) -
The Gulch children had disappeared, and an entire class of the starving poor had dwindled away.
Fiction book (1993) -
I thought their affair had dwindled away to nothing, that they were a couple of old shoes, with no romantic nonsense between them, but there they were.
Fiction book (1995) -
"And look how quickly this stream has dwindled away," observed Hanrald, who had been leading the party up the narrow gully.
Fiction book (1992) -
In America, the terrain for effective new public transportation is now almost as blank as that Connecticut schoolyard's new-fallen snow because in so many places public transportation has not yet developed at all, while in others it has all but dwindled away or grown inconvenient.
Academic text (2001)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stop being seen or to no longer be there
531
1.2
To slowly become less visible, bright, or loud
463
1.0
To stop being seen or felt
201
3.7
To become less in size, importance, or value
181
2.8
Become less in amount or value
72
5.1
To become smaller or less in number over time
69
3.0
To become weaker and then disappear over time
49
2.6
Become less in number, amount, or quality
48
6.8
To make something spread out and disappear, for example fog or tension
47
3.7
To stop existing over time, for example animals or traditions
46
2.7
To become less strong or loud over time
43
3.9
To slowly disappear or become less clear
29
4.8
To move back or become less strong
21
3.5
To become less in number or amount
19
4.3
To become less in amount or quality
18
4.2
To become gradually less in size or amount
9
5.6
To slowly become weaker and then stop
9
4.5
To become smaller or weaker over time until it stops
8
4.2
To become quieter and then stop
5
3.8
A slow loss of brightness, sound, or strength until almost gone
4
3.5
Become fewer and more spread out
2
3.3
To become less over time
1
5.6
To move back slowly, like water leaving a shore
1
5.1
To become slowly smaller or less until almost nothing remains
1
5.5
Becoming smaller or less over time until almost gone
1
4.7
Becoming smaller or fewer over time
Becoming less in size, number, amount or importance
Becoming less in number, size, or strength
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to gradually become smaller or disappear' is directly derivable from combining 'dwindle' (to reduce gradually) with 'away' (indicating disappearance or movement to nothing). The verb + away pattern commonly signals gradual fading or completion and follows regular compositional logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should understand it.
Etymology
The verb dwindle away paints a clear image: the words dwindle and away make you think of a candle slowly burning down or a pile of coins shrinking bit by bit until almost nothing is left. So it means 'to become smaller or disappear slowly'.