dwindle

verb

dwin·​dle ˈdwin-dᵊl 

dwindled; dwindling ˈdwin-(d)liŋ 

-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to become steadily less : shrink

Their savings dwindled to nothing.

a dwindling population

transitive verb

: to make steadily less

Synonyms

• abate
• de-escalate
• decrease
• dent
• deplete
• diminish
• downscale
• downsize
• drop
• ease
• knock down
• lessen
• lower
• reduce

Choose the Right Synonym for dwindle

decrease, lessen, diminish, reduce, abate, dwindle mean to grow or make less.

decrease suggests a progressive decline in size, amount, numbers, or intensity.

slowly decreased the amount of pressure

lessen suggests a decline in amount rather than in number.

has been unable to lessen her debt

diminish emphasizes a perceptible loss and implies its subtraction from a total.

his visual acuity has diminished

reduce implies a bringing down or lowering.

you must reduce your caloric intake

abate implies a reducing of something excessive or oppressive in force or amount.

the storm abated

dwindle implies progressive lessening and is applied to things growing visibly smaller.

their provisions dwindled slowly

Examples of dwindle in a Sentence

Our energy dwindled as the meeting dragged on.

The town's population is dwindling away.

Recent Examples on the Web

Certain proteins that affect cellular stress and inflammation increased with age, while others that help with maintenance tasks like cell regeneration dwindled, reports Live Science’s Emily Cooke. —Gayoung Lee, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024

This set has been retired for a while now and stocks are dwindling, so this could be the last chance to pick up this Imperial Probe Droid Lego model. —Rich Owen, Space.com, 18 Dec. 2024

While the track’s Hot 100 placement has dwindled due to the holiday season, its appeal remains the same. —Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 17 Dec. 2024

As the light dwindled on the evening of December 1, bodies lay on the ground outside the stadium and on the pitch. —Adam Leventhal, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

probably frequentative of dwine to waste away, from Middle English, from Old English dwīnan; akin to Old Norse dvīna to pine away, deyja to die — more at die

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

dwindle

verb

dwin·​dle ˈdwin-dᵊl 

dwindled; dwindling ˈdwin-dliŋ 

-dᵊliŋ

: to make or become less