thinning

Pluralthinnings

1. 1
   adjective

   Slowly getting less thick, or fewer in number.

   Like a crowd that slowly gets smaller as people leave.

   His thinning hair made him look older than he was.

   The thinning crowd left the stadium quiet by midnight.

   Similarsparse, dwindling, diminishing

   Oppositethickening

   Note
2. 2
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act of making something less thick, or fewer in number.

   The thinning of the forest let more light reach the ground.

   Doctors linked the thinning of her bones to her age.

   Similardepletion, reduction, decrease, loss, decline

   Oppositethickening, increase

   Note
3. 3
   verb

   Present participle of thin. Use this form when the action is happening now.

   She is thinning the soup with a little warm water.

   The gardener is thinning the young seedlings this weekend.

   Note
4. 4
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The job of removing some plants or branches so the others can grow better.

   Like spacing out plants in a garden so each one gets enough sun.

   The thinning of the carrot rows gave each plant more space.

   After the thinning, the young trees grew much faster.

   Note
5. 5
   nounusually plural

   The branches, leaves, or wood that are cut away when plants are thinned out.

   Like the grass clippings you rake up after cutting the lawn.

   The thinning was chipped into mulch for the garden beds.

   The thinnings were left to rot back into the soil.

   Similartrimmings, clippings

   Note

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