decline

di-KLYN/dɪˈklaɪn/

15 meanings of decline

1
verbtransitive
To politely say no to something offered or suggested.
Like saying 'no thank you' when someone offers you more food.
He decided to decline the job offer.
She politely declined the gift.
Similarrefuse, reject
Oppositeaccept, agree
Note
2
verbintransitive
To slowly get weaker, worse, or less healthy.
Like a plant that slowly wilts when no one waters it.
Her health began to decline after the surgery.
Sales declined sharply over the winter.
Similardeteriorate, worsen, weaken, degenerate, wane
Oppositeimprove, recover, flourish
3
nouncountable or uncountable
A slow change to a weaker, worse, or less healthy state.
Like a building that slowly falls apart when no one fixes it.
The decline in his health worried the whole family.
Old age brought a gradual decline she couldn't ignore.
Similardeterioration, degeneration, decay, worsening
Oppositeimprovement, recovery, revival
Note
4
nouncountable
A drop in how much, how often, or how common something is.
Like the number of leaves on a tree dropping as fall arrives.
There has been a decline in the number of young farmers.
The town saw a decline in tourism after the bridge closed.
Similardecrease, drop, fall, reduction, downturn
Oppositeincrease, rise, growth
Note
5
nouncountable
The act of saying no to something offered.
Like shaking your head 'no' when someone hands you something.
Her decline of the award surprised everyone.
His polite decline of the invitation was noted.
Similarrefusal, rejection
Oppositeacceptance
Note
6
verbintransitive
To move down to a lower place or level.
Like a ball rolling down a hill.
The road declines steeply toward the river.
Temperatures decline as night falls.
Similardescend, slope, dip, drop
Oppositerise, ascend, climb
7
nouncountable
A movement downward to a lower place.
Like a leaf drifting down to the ground.
The plane's decline toward the runway was smooth.
We watched the slow decline of the sun behind the hills.
Similardescent, drop, fall
Oppositeascent, rise, climb
8
nouncountable
A downward slope, like the side of a hill or a road going down.
Like the slanted part of a slide that goes down.
The car rolled gently down the decline.
We rested at the bottom of the decline.
Similarslope, descent, downgrade
Oppositeincline, ascent, rise
9
verbtransitive
To bend something down, or to make it go down or fall.
The heavy snow declined the thin branches almost to the ground.
Soldiers decline their banners toward the ground as a sign of respect.
Similarlower, bow, bend, dip
Oppositeraise, lift
Note
10
verbtransitive
To change the form of a word to fit how it is used in a sentence.
Like changing 'I' to 'me' or 'my' depending on how you use it.
Students learn to decline Latin nouns in their first year.
She declined the German word for every case.
Similarinflect
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of decline apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Latin declino, made from de meaning "down" and clino meaning "to bend or lean." It came into English through Middle English.