declines

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of decline.

   Attendance declines sharply once the summer break begins.

   He declines the nomination every time it is offered to him.

   Note

   One form carries two very different verbs, and an object usually decides which. With nothing after it, the sense is falling or weakening: attendance declines, his health declines. With an object, it is usually refusal: she declines the invitation. Unlike the plural spelled the same way in the noun form, it pairs with a singular subject: they decline, but it declines.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of decline.

   The region endured repeated economic declines throughout the decade.

   Doctors monitored the gradual declines in his cognitive function.

   Note

   Only the countable side of decline has a plural: separate episodes rather than one general process. Repeated declines are distinct downturns, each with its own start and end, while a long decline is a single slide. The same spelling serves the verb form (attendance declines), so position tells them apart. After an article, a number or an adjective, it is the noun.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2