to dwindle down
1
5.1
- phrasal verb
- /ˈdwɪndəl daʊn/
:
disminuir
- Her energy gradually dwindled down after hours of working without a break.
It just, it keeps kind of dwindling down, dwindling down.
- It just, it keeps kind of dwindling down, dwindling down.
- He at the end of his life and the last visits, started talking to me as his time was dwindling down.
Examples
-
And it appears there are literally only a handful of top actors who have stayed around for decades anymore, rather than two handfuls or a group of twenty or so that has dwindled down to about five.
Blog text (2) -
My feet are almost healed now, and my list of complaints has dwindled down to almost invisibility.
Academic text (1996) -
Has it dwindled down to just the two of you after only three weeks?
-
Hell, the active duty bases have dwindled down to but a handful of states.
Blog text (24) -
And eventually they're gonna dwindle down just to you.
-
Therefore, the once sky-high amount of interest has dwindled down to only a few teams.
Blog text (27) -
While they used to be part of the power six, it has dwindled down to the power five of the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC, and Pac-12.
Blog text (30) -
It had dwindled down to Matt and Moonie and then just Moonie; Kenny, D.R., and Rose, and then just Rose.
Fiction book (2000) -
In time, Olivia's tears dwindled down to a pair of raspy sobs and a final hiccup.
Fiction book (1994) -
And yet, somewhere toward the end of the 1990s, the flood of enthusiastic predictions dwindled down to a trickle, and the excitement over the age of cyber-politics began to subside.
Academic text (2002)
Synonyms
321
1.9
To become less in amount, size, or value
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
46
2.7
To become less strong or loud over time
34
2.8
To make something smaller in amount or strength
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
4
3.5
Become fewer and more spread out
3
5.9
To make something smaller gradually by cutting or wearing it away
2
3.3
To become less over time
1
4.6
Slowly get smaller in number or amount until nothing remains
Antonyms
How Much
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to gradually become smaller or fewer' is transparently built from 'dwindle' (to reduce gradually) together with 'down' (indicating movement to a lower level or completion), so the composite sense is predictable. This verb+particle pattern is compositional and common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Dwindle down may come from the image of a candle slowly getting smaller as it burns, with the wax melting and the flame moving down until only a little is left. That's why it now means 'to become smaller and smaller until almost nothing is left'.