English Explanatory Dictionary

dwindle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To decrease, shrink, diminish, reduce in size or intensity.
  2. To fall away in quality; degenerate, sink.
  3. To lessen; to bring low.
  4. To break up or disperse.

Pronunciation

/ˈdwɪn.dəl/ en-us-dwindle.ogg en-au-dwindle.ogg

Word forms

dwindle dwindles dwindling dwindled

Etymology

Frequentative form of dwine, from Middle English dwinen, from Old English dwīnan (“to waste away”), from Proto-West Germanic *dwīnan, from Proto-Germanic *dwīnaną. It is equivalent to dwine + -le, akin to Old Norse dvena, dvína, Dutch verdwijnen (“to disappear, dwindle”).

Synonyms

fade away peter out spin down trail off wane wanse

Derived words

dwindlement dwindles dwindling fall dwindle disease
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