shrink

shrink — verb

1. when something gets smaller in size, amount, or value — or when someone or somet

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

when something gets smaller in size, amount, or value — or when someone or something causes it to get smaller — for instance, a woollen sweater shrinks in hot water, and a weak economy can cause profits to shrink.

Example

Jin washed his new woollen jumper in hot water, and it shrank two sizes.

intransitive: material shrinks from heat or water

The factory's workforce shrank by fifteen percent after the owner moved production overseas.

shrink + by + percentage

Common collocations
  • shrink in size
  • shrink in value
  • shrink dramatically
  • shrink rapidly
  • shrink sharply
  • shrink by half
Synonyms
  • contract

    specifically about drawing together or tightening in size, less about value or amount

  • dwindle

    focuses on gradual reduction until nearly gone, often of resources or amounts

  • reduce

    more formal and broader; can apply to any kind of lessening, often requires a direct object

Antonyms
  • expand

    to become larger in size, amount, or scope

  • grow

    to increase naturally in size or amount over time

Grammar Patterns

shrink + noun phrase (e.g. shrink the workforce)

shrink (no object, e.g. the sweater shrunk)

shrink + by + amount

Usage Note

The past tense is 'shrank' and the past participle is 'shrunk' — both are irregular. 'Shrunken' is occasionally used as an adjective before nouns (e.g. 'a shrunken sweater'). This sense is the only one that can be transitive (you can shrink something).

Common Mistakes

The shirt has been shrinked in the wash.
The shirt has shrunk in the wash.
'Shrinked' is not standard; use 'shrank' (past) or 'shrunk' (past participle).
The company shrinked its staff.
The company shrank its staff.
The irregular past is 'shrank', never 'shrinked'.

2. to pull your body backwards or to the side as an instinctive reaction to somethi

2.verbintransitiveC1
Definition

to pull your body backwards or to the side as an instinctive reaction to something that frightens, hurts, or shocks you.

Example

Talia shrank back when the stray cat hissed and bared its teeth at her.

shrink back + from + stimulus (fear response)

The witness shrank from the accident footage on the evening news.

shrink from + noun phrase (recoiling from disturbing sight)

Common collocations
  • shrink back
  • shrink away
  • shrink from
  • shrink in horror
Synonyms
  • recoil

    suggests a stronger, more dramatic reaction of disgust or horror

  • flinch

    a quicker, smaller movement, often involuntary and triggered by pain or threat

  • cower

    suggests staying low or curled up in fear rather than moving away

Antonyms
  • approach

    to move towards someone or something

  • confront

    to face something directly, especially something intimidating

Grammar Patterns

shrink + back + from + noun phrase

shrink + away + from + noun phrase

shrink + from + noun phrase

Usage Note

Always intransitive — this sense never takes a direct object. Common directional particles are 'back', 'away', and the preposition 'from'. The movement is physical and instinctive, not a considered decision to avoid someone.

Common Mistakes

She shrank him because he was scary.
She shrank back from him because he was scary.
This sense is intransitive; it cannot take a direct object.
He shrank from the responsibility.' (when meaning 'avoided a duty')
This usage exists but is a different, rarer sense. For physical recoiling, use 'shrank back' or 'shrank away from'.
Phrasal verbs

shrink from something

phrasal verb

to avoid doing something because it is difficult, unpleasant, or frightening.

Eve never shrinks from telling her students the truth, even when it is uncomfortable.

shrink from

phrasal verb

To avoid doing something because it is difficult or unpleasant.

Maya did not shrink from telling her boss the truth.

Why do you always shrink from making difficult decisions?

Idioms

a shrinking violet

idiom

a person who is very shy or introverted and does not like to attract attention.

Meera was a shrinking violet as a child, but she is a confident public speaker now.

shrink — noun

Word family

  • shrinkage
    nounC1
  • shrunken
    adjectiveC1
  • shrinker
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe something becoming smaller, but they differ in how and what. 'Shrink' is the most general and physical — a sweater shrinks in hot water, profits shrink in a recession. 'Contract' specifically means drawing together or tightening, often of materials (metal contracts when cold) or muscles. 'Dwindle' emphasises a slow, steady decrease until almost nothing remains, used mainly for amounts or resources: savings dwindle, crowds dwindle. 'Reduce' is the most formal and usually requires a direct object: the company reduced its staff. 'Diminish' suggests a lessening in importance or intensity rather than physical size: his influence diminished over time. Use 'shrink' for concrete size reductions in everyday contexts; use 'dwindle' when the focus is on gradual depletion; and use 'reduce' in formal or business writing.

shrink ↗contract ↗dwindle ↗reduce ↗diminish ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • shrink in size
  • shrink in value
  • shrink by half

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The verb 'shrink' comes from Old English 'scrincan', meaning 'to draw in the limbs, contract', which traces back to Proto-Germanic '*skrinkwanan'. The informal noun sense meaning 'psychiatrist' dates from the 1950s, shortened from the slang term 'head-shrinker', which originally referred to the practice of shrinking human heads — a dark joke about psychoanalysis reducing or 'shrinking' psychological problems.