| 词汇 | thesaurus_articles_to-become-smaller-or-less |
| 释义 | to become smaller or lessThese words are used to describe when something becomes smaller, less, or is brought to a lower level. The most common word for this is decrease. The tests show that the tumour has decreased in size since we started treatment. Her influence on him keeps decreasing as time goes on. Costs have decreased dramatically in the last six months. The verbs lessen, lower, and reduce, and the phrasal verb bring down are often used when someone decreases an amount or level. A healthy diet lessens your risk for cardiovascular disease. They've just lowered the age at which you can join. They've just reduced the price. They are bringing down their prices. Drop, fall, go down, and come down are often used when a level or amount decreases. Stock prices dropped today after the company's announcement. Unemployment has fallen to six percent in the last year. Prices always go down in January. Has her fever come down at all? If a level or amount decreases very quickly, plummet and plunge are sometimes used. Temperatures last night plummeted. Temperatures last night plunged below zero. In business settings, if something such as a company or a financial market suddenly loses most of its value, you can say that it has crashed or, in US English, cratered. After bad news from the Federal Reserve, the markets crashed. An excess of supply is going to crater the entire market. Oil prices cratered as news of the conflict spread. If a level or amount decreases gradually, the verbs dwindle and decline are sometimes used. The number of students in the school has dwindled to around 200. The number of members has declined by 25 per cent over the last 30 years. If the size of something decreases, shrink can be used. The verb contract is used in technical contexts. Forests have shrunk to almost half the size they were 20 years ago. As the metal cools, it contracts. The opposite of decrease is increase. I've been increasing my workouts by five minutes a day. Prices keep increasing across the board. For more opposites of decrease, see the article at increase. Related articlesthe fact of getting smaller or becoming less |
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