# shrink

Pronunciation: US say "SHRINK" /ˈʃɹɪŋk/; AUS say "SHRINGK" /ˈʃɹɪŋk/

## Verb

1. To become smaller in size or amount, or to make something smaller.
   - Simple: To get smaller, or to make something smaller.
   - _Metal parts shrink slightly as they cool._
   - _The glacier has shrunk dramatically over the past century._
3. To withdraw or retire from something, as from danger or difficulty.
   - Simple: To avoid a hard or scary task instead of facing it.
   - _A good leader does not shrink from tough decisions._
   - _They shrank from the responsibility once they understood the risks._
4. To move or draw back, or to cower or flinch, especially out of fear or disgust.
   - Simple: To move or pull back from something because you are afraid or disgusted.
   - _He shrank from the snake coiled on the path._
   - _Patients sometimes shrink from the needle during a blood test._

## Noun

2. An informal, sometimes disparaging word for a psychiatrist or psychotherapist. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An informal word for a psychiatrist or therapist, sometimes used jokingly or rudely.
   - _After months of insomnia, she booked an appointment with a shrink._
   - _The detective joked that he needed a shrink after such a stressful case._
5. Contraction, or the amount by which something becomes smaller; also, a sudden drawing back or recoil.
   - Simple: The amount that something gets smaller, or a sudden pull back.
   - _The pattern leaves extra cloth to allow for shrink during the first wash._
   - _Casting molds are made a little oversized to make up for the shrink that happens as hot metal cools._
6. Loss of inventory, due to causes such as shoplifting or goods expiring before they sell.
   - Simple: The loss of goods in a store from theft, damage, or items going bad before they sell.
   - _Retailers attribute much of their shrink to organized shoplifting._
   - _The quarterly report showed shrink rising across all departments._

## Origin

Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną gave Old English sċrincan, which became Middle English schrynken, and Dutch schrinken ("to shrink") is a relative. Calling a psychologist or psychotherapist a "shrink" comes from shortening head-shrinker.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/shrink (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).