shrinkage

noun

shrink·​age ˈshriŋ-kij 

 especially Southern  ˈsriŋ-

1

: the act or process of shrinking

2

a

: the loss in weight of livestock during shipment and in the process of preparing the meat for consumption

b

: the loss of goods especially by theft

inventory shrinkage

3

: the amount lost by shrinkage

Synonyms

• abatement
• decline
• decrease
• decrement
• dent
• depletion
• depression
• diminishment
• diminution
• drop
• drop-off
• fall
• falloff
• loss
• reduction
• step-down

Examples of shrinkage in a Sentence

The shrinkage in contributions is significant.

a shrinkage of 10 percent

the shrinkage of the polar ice caps

Recent Examples on the Web

Even accounting for her curls’ shrinkage, her hair only grew about an inch. —Ariel Wodarcyk, Glamour, 7 Jan. 2025

In most cases, shrinkage can be reversed once the drugs are stopped.17 Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT): TRT is commonly used to treat male hypogonadism. —Matthew Wosnitzer, Verywell Health, 5 Jan. 2025

And then there is a government shrinkage team, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whose goals are wildly ambitious, to put it mildly. —David E. Sanger, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024

Neuroinflammation, brain shrinkage, disruption of the blood-brain barrier and more have been documented in adults, as have cognitive deficits. —Blake Murdoch, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shrinkage

noun

shrink·​age ˈshriŋ-kij 

: the amount by which something shrinks or becomes less