dwindle

Word family

dwin·dle /ˈdwɪndl/ verb [intransitiveI]

(also dwindle away)LESSSMALL to gradually become less and less or smaller and smaller 逐渐减少，缩小，变小

The elephant population is dwindling.

大象的数量在减少。

His money had dwindled away.

他的钱在逐渐变少。

dwindle to

The stream has dwindled to a trickle.

这条小河变成了细流。

► see thesaurus at decrease

—dwindling adjectiveadj

dwindling resources

日益减少的资源

Examples from the Corpus

dwindle• The money available to build new parks has dwindled.• And her rock collection is dwindling.• Since 1984, interference from the government has dwindled.• Not for nothing have the return invitations dwindled a bit over the years.• Required to spend more time with Matilda, Agnes finds that her encounters with the curate dwindle and almost cease altogether.• They start off so large and marvellous, then they dwindle away to nothing.• Discussions about texts dwindled into silence; discussions about moms threatened to turn into full-blown therapy sessions.• The country's foreign currency reserves have dwindled over the past few years.• He was simply responding to the twin pressures of dwindling tax revenues and pressing needs.• The original platoon of 30 men had dwindled to 12.• There was a vaguely Rincewind-shaped violet shadow, dwindling to a point and winking out.

Origin dwindle

(1500-1600) dwine “to become less”

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus

TOEFL IELTS BNC: 11193 COCA: 10733

dwindle

verb

ADVERB | PREPOSITION

ADVERB

➤fast, quickly, rapidly迅速減少；急速減少

◇Supplies of coal are dwindling fast.煤的供應量在迅速減少。

➤gradually, slowly逐漸減少；慢慢縮減

▸➤steadily穩步縮減

▸➤away, down (especially NAmE) 逐漸減少；縮小

◇Membership of the club had dwindled away to nothing.俱樂部成員人數逐漸減少到零。

PREPOSITION

➤into減少到

◇The group's support dwindled into insignificance.這個團體的支持減少到了微乎其微的地步。

➤to減至

◇Profits slowly dwindled to nothing.利潤慢慢減少到零。

TOEFL IELTS BNC: 11193 COCA: 10733

dwindle