to dwindle away
2
4.6
- phrasal verb
- /ˈdwɪndəl əˈweɪ/
- 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
628
1.0
To stop being seen or felt
454
1.2
To slowly become less visible, bright, or loud
159
2.8
Become less in amount or value
147
3.7
To become less in size, importance, or value
86
3.0
To become weaker and then disappear over time
67
4.8
To move back or become less strong
59
6.8
To make something spread out and disappear, for example fog or tension
54
5.1
To become smaller or less in number over time
44
3.7
To stop existing over time, for example animals or traditions
44
2.7
To become less strong or loud over time
36
3.9
To slowly disappear or become less clear
24
2.6
Become less in number, amount, or quality
23
4.6
Becoming less in size, number, amount or importance
22
4.3
To become less in amount or quality
21
3.5
To become less in number or amount
21
4.2
To become gradually less in size or amount
20
4.7
Becoming smaller or fewer over time
16
4.5
To become smaller or weaker over time until it stops
12
2.3
Becoming less in number, size, or strength
10
5.6
To slowly become weaker and then stop
9
4.2
To become quieter and then stop
6
3.5
Become fewer and more spread out
4
3.3
To become less over time
3
5.1
To become slowly smaller or less until almost nothing remains
2
5.6
To move back slowly, like water leaving a shore
1
3.8
A slow loss of brightness, sound, or strength until almost gone
1
5.5
Becoming smaller or less over time until almost gone
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'.