dwindle
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
-
to grow or cause to grow less in size, intensity, or number; diminish or shrink gradually
Related Words
See decrease.
Other Word Forms
- undwindling adjective
Etymology
Origin of dwindle
1590–1600; dwine (now dial.) to waste away ( Middle English; Old English dwīnan; cognate with Middle Dutch dwīnen to languish, Old Norse dvīna to pine away) + -le
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"If that trend continued, you'd potentially see your site traffic almost dwindle to nothing."
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
The new trees dwindle as the weak die and the strong thrive.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026
Worried about waiting to escape as food and air-defense munitions dwindle, he is weighing paying a hefty price for a seven-hour taxi ride through Saudi Arabia’s deserts—and oil fields, which could be targets—to Riyadh.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026
As the weeks amass and donations dwindle, survivors question how long they will be left in limbo after the worst disaster to strike Aceh since a 2004 tsunami.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
Now Sister Ignatia’s magical stores were starting to dwindle.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.