shrank
ˈshraŋk 
ˈsraŋk
or shrunk
ˈshrəŋk
ˈsrəŋk
; shrunk or shrunken
ˈshrəŋ-kən
ˈsrəŋ-
; shrinking
2
a
: to contract to less extent or compass
b
: to become smaller or more compacted
c
: to lose substance or weight
d
: to lessen in value : dwindle
3
a
: to recoil instinctively (as from something painful or horrible)
shrank from the challenge
b
: to hold oneself back : refrain
did not shrink from telling the truth
: to cause to contract or shrink
specifically
: to compact (cloth) by causing to contract when subjected to washing, boiling, steaming, or other processes
shrinker
noun
Examples of shrink in a Sentence
Verb
The sweater shrank when it was washed.
Meat shrinks as it cooks.
The town's population shrank during the war.
Hot water shrank the sweater.
The treatment should shrink the tumor.
He shrank in horror when he saw the dead cat.
Noun
He is seeing a shrink.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashleigh Furlong, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024
Open grasslands are shrinking where the tiny burrowing owl makes its home nesting in underground burrows.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
The project has been in the planning stages for more than 20 years, one of several that hope to battle chronic erosion problems up and down the Southern California coast that threaten homes and infrastructure as sand shrinks, allowing the ocean to creep closer.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Last summer, Arctic sea ice shrank to its sixth-smallest coverage on record, and the extent of Antarctic sea ice dropped suddenly to alarmingly low levels.
—Kelly Sims Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Glaciers are shrinking, coral reefs are in crisis and last year was the hottest on record.
—Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Kroger shrinks its digital shopping goals Kroger already appears to have slowed its big plans for digital shopping.
—Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 21 Apr. 2024
This has all played out against shrinking space for dissent, with crackdowns on media and broader civil society.
—Michael Kugelman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
Residents could also shrink their own costs by replacing paved areas of their property with natural earth, which better soaks up stormwater and reduces runoff.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Christopher Marquis, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
These berries become more visible as the spathe withers and shrinks, adding a late dash of color to the shade garden.
—Nadia Hassani, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2024
Dollar General has extra reason to protect profit margins after suffering from inventory shrink in 2023.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
The disparity is more likely to grow than shrink if the fiscal crisis in Tucson forces Robbins and his next athletic director to make cuts that won’t exist for Crow and his hire — assuming, of course, that Robbins and Crow are still on the job in the second half of the decade.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, coming off perhaps his finest season – including second-team All-Pro recognition and a league-best 36 TD passes – saw his playoff record shrink to 2-5.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024
That’s where the astronaut’s alien surrogate shrink comes in.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024
The retailer recorded a 30 percent decline in gross profit margin last quarter, largely because of shrink.
—Jaclyn Peiser, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Designed to increase convenience and ease labor costs, self-checkout kiosks have cost retailers in shrink, or inventory lost due to poor record-keeping or theft.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2024
Verb
The company’s operating margin shrank in the first quarter from the previous one.
—Ashleigh Furlong, Fortune Europe, 25 Apr. 2024
Open grasslands are shrinking where the tiny burrowing owl makes its home nesting in underground burrows.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2024
The project has been in the planning stages for more than 20 years, one of several that hope to battle chronic erosion problems up and down the Southern California coast that threaten homes and infrastructure as sand shrinks, allowing the ocean to creep closer.
—Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 23 Apr. 2024
Last summer, Arctic sea ice shrank to its sixth-smallest coverage on record, and the extent of Antarctic sea ice dropped suddenly to alarmingly low levels.
—Kelly Sims Gallagher, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Glaciers are shrinking, coral reefs are in crisis and last year was the hottest on record.
—Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
Kroger shrinks its digital shopping goals Kroger already appears to have slowed its big plans for digital shopping.
—Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 21 Apr. 2024
This has all played out against shrinking space for dissent, with crackdowns on media and broader civil society.
—Michael Kugelman, TIME, 19 Apr. 2024
Residents could also shrink their own costs by replacing paved areas of their property with natural earth, which better soaks up stormwater and reduces runoff.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
Then all bottles are made from recycled glass, the sealing ring from recyclable material and the shrink sleeve is biodegradable.
—Christopher Marquis, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
These berries become more visible as the spathe withers and shrinks, adding a late dash of color to the shade garden.
—Nadia Hassani, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Jan. 2024
Dollar General has extra reason to protect profit margins after suffering from inventory shrink in 2023.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2024
The disparity is more likely to grow than shrink if the fiscal crisis in Tucson forces Robbins and his next athletic director to make cuts that won’t exist for Crow and his hire — assuming, of course, that Robbins and Crow are still on the job in the second half of the decade.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, coming off perhaps his finest season – including second-team All-Pro recognition and a league-best 36 TD passes – saw his playoff record shrink to 2-5.
—Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 15 Jan. 2024
That’s where the astronaut’s alien surrogate shrink comes in.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024
The retailer recorded a 30 percent decline in gross profit margin last quarter, largely because of shrink.
—Jaclyn Peiser, Washington Post, 3 Oct. 2023
Designed to increase convenience and ease labor costs, self-checkout kiosks have cost retailers in shrink, or inventory lost due to poor record-keeping or theft.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shrink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shrink
Cite this Entry
“Shrink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrink. Accessed 30 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shrink
1 of 2 verb
shrank
ˈshraŋk
or shrunk
ˈshrəŋk
; shrunk or shrunken
ˈshrəŋ-kən
; shrinking
or shrunk
ˈshrəŋk
; shrunk or shrunken
ˈshrəŋ-kən
; shrinking
1
: to curl up or withdraw in or as if in fear or pain
shrink in horror
2
: to make or become smaller
shrink cloth by washing
meat shrinks in cooking
shrinker
noun
shrink
2 of 2 noun
slang
Medical Definition
shrink
noun
: a clinical psychiatrist or psychologist
called also headshrinker
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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