Decrease — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a change downward

a process of becoming smaller or shorter

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dɪsmˈaʊnt/

🇬🇧British English

/dˈiːkɹiːs/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dˈiːkɹiːs/

2 syllables Say it as /dɪsmˈaʊnt/.

Examples

there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided
there was a sharp drop-off in sales
The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

diminution step-down minify decrement fall lessen lessening reduction drop-off diminish

Antonyms

increase increment

Parts of Speech

noun	a change downward “there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided”
noun	a process of becoming smaller or shorter
noun	the amount by which something decreases
noun	the act of decreasing or reducing something
verb	decrease in size, extent, or range “The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester”
verb	make smaller “He decreased his staff”

Word Forms

decrease	verb	make smaller
drop off	verb	fall or diminish
reduce	verb	reduce in size; reduce physically
step down	verb	reduce the level or intensity or size or scope of
decrease	noun	the act of decreasing or reducing something
diminution	noun	change toward something smaller or lower
fall	noun	a sudden sharp decrease in some quantity

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verringern

eine Veränderung nach unten

🇫🇷French

diminuer

un changement à la baisse

🇪🇸Spanish

disminuir

un cambio hacia abajo

🇮🇹Italian

diminuire

un cambiamento verso il basso

🇳🇱Dutch

afname

een verandering naar beneden

🇵🇹Portuguese

diminuir

uma mudança para baixo

🇷🇺Russian

снижаться

изменение вниз

India

🇮🇳Hindi

घटाना

नीचे की ओर परिवर्तन

🇧🇩Bengali

হ্রাস

নিচের দিকে একটি পরিবর্তন

🇮🇳Tamil

குறையும்

கீழ்நோக்கி ஒரு மாற்றம்

🇮🇳Telugu

తగ్గుదల

ఒక మార్పు క్రిందికి

🇮🇳Marathi

कमी

खालच्या दिशेने बदल

🇮🇳Gujarati

ઘટાડો

નીચેનો ફેરફાર

🇮🇳Kannada

ಇಳಿಕೆ

ಕೆಳಮುಖವಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾವಣೆ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കുറയുന്നു

താഴേക്കുള്ള ഒരു മാറ്റം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਘਟਾਓ

ਹੇਠਾਂ ਵੱਲ ਇੱਕ ਤਬਦੀਲੀ

🇵🇰Urdu

کمی

نیچے کی طرف تبدیلی

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

减少

向下变化

🇯🇵Japanese

減少

下向きの変化

🇰🇷Korean

감소하다

하향 변화

🇻🇳Vietnamese

giảm bớt

một sự thay đổi đi xuống

🇹🇭Thai

ลด

การเปลี่ยนแปลงลดลง

🇮🇩Indonesian

mengurangi

perubahan ke bawah

🇵🇭Filipino

pagbaba

isang pagbabago pababa

🇲🇾Malay

berkurangan

perubahan ke bawah

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

ينقص

تغيير إلى الأسفل

🇮🇷Persian

کاهش یابد

یک تغییر به سمت پایین

🇹🇷Turkish

azaltmak

aşağı doğru bir değişiklik

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַקְטִין

שינוי כלפי מטה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'decrease'?

The primary meaning of 'decrease' is 'a change downward'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'decrease' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'decrease' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'decrease' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'decrease' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'decrease' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'decrease' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'decrease' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'decrease' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'decrease' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'decrease' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted