shrink
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle English shrinken, from Old English sċrincan, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Cognate with Dutch schrinken (“to shrink”).
PronunciationEdit
VerbEdit
shrink (third-person singular simple present shrinks, present participle shrinking, simple past shrank or shrunk, past participle shrunk or shrunken)
- (transitive) To cause to become smaller.
- The dryer shrank my sweater.
- 2008 October, David Schipper, “Outsmart your stomach: Seven ways to fill your gut—and lose it, too”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 8, ISSN 1054-4836, page 135:
- The bottom line is this: To shrink your gut, you need to start listening to it.
- (intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
- This garment will shrink when wet.
- 1631, [Francis Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], 3rd edition, London: […] VVilliam Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], OCLC 1044372886:
- I have not found that water, by mixture of ashes, will shrink or draw into less room.
- 1668, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, M. DC. LXVI. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], OCLC 1064438096, (please specify the stanza number):
- And shrink like parchment in consuming fire.
- 2018, VOA Learning English > China's Melting Glacier Brings Visitors, Adds to Climate Concerns
- Since 1982, it has shrunk by 250 meters.
- (intransitive) To cower or flinch.
- Molly shrank away from the blows of the whip.
- (transitive) To draw back; to withdraw.
- 1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […] , London: Printed by Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Moſely, […], published 1645, OCLC 606951673, page 10:
- The Libyc Hammon ſhrinks his horn,
- (intransitive, figuratively) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
- 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], OCLC 960856019:
- What happier natures shrink at with affright, / The hard inhabitant contends is right.
- 1881, Benjamin Jowett (translator), Thucydides
- They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task.
- (intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.
SynonymsEdit
- (avoid an unwanted task): funk, shirk
- (withdraw or retire, as from danger): shrink back, retreat
AntonymsEdit
- (to cause to become smaller): expand, grow, enlarge, stretch
- (become smaller): expand, grow, enlarge, stretch
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
intransitive: to contract, to become smaller
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transitive: to cause something to shrink
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to cower
intransitive: to attempt to avoid an unwanted or intimidating duty
to move back because of fear or disgust
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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NounEdit
shrink (plural shrinks)
- Shrinkage; contraction; recoil.
- 1818, Leigh Hunt, “To T** L** H**, Six Years Old, During a Sickness.”, in Foliage; […], London: Printed for C. and J. Ollier, Welbeck Street, page xlvii:
- Yet almost with, with sudden shrink, That I had less to praise.
- (slang, sometimes derogatory) A psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
- You need to see a shrink, you crazy fool.
- My shrink said that he was an enabler, bad for me.
- 1994 August, Green Day (lyrics and music), “Basket Case”, in Dookie, Reprise Records, track 7:
- I went to a shrink to analyze my dreams / She says it's lack of sex that's bringing me down
- Synonym: head-shrinker
- (uncountable, business) Loss of inventory, for example due to shoplifting or not selling items before their expiration date.
- 2011, Charles Sennewald & John Christman, Retail Crime, Security, and Loss Prevention: An Encyclopedic Reference, p. 227:
- Assuming the retailer's shrink is average or below, and the owner is comfortable with the level of shrink, perhaps nothing more need be done except to maintain vigilance and to monitor the shrink for signs of emerging problems.
- 2011, Charles Sennewald & John Christman, Retail Crime, Security, and Loss Prevention: An Encyclopedic Reference, p. 227:
Usage notesEdit
- (therapist): The slang sense was originally pejorative, expressing a distrust of practitioners in the field. It is now not as belittling or trivializing.
TranslationsEdit
psychiatrist or therapist (informal, belittling)
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked