shrink
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /ˈʃɹɪŋk/
Verb

shrink (shrinks, present participle shrinking; past shrank, past participle shrunk)

  1. (transitive) To cause to become smaller.
    The dryer shrank my sweater.
  2. (intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
    This garment will shrink when wet.
  3. (intransitive) To cower or flinch.
    Molly shrank away from the blows of the whip.
  4. (transitive) To draw back; to withdraw.
    • 1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christ's 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,
  5. (intransitive, figuratively) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
    • 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify ), London: Printed for J[ohn] Wilford, […], OCLC 960856019 ↗:
    • (translator), Thucydides
      They assisted us against the Thebans when you shrank from the task.
  6. (intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.
Synonyms Antonyms Translations Translations Translations Translations Noun

shrink (plural shrinks)

  1. Shrinkage; contraction; recoil.
  2. (slang, sometimes, pejorative) A psychiatrist or psychotherapist.
    You need to see a shrink.
    My shrink said that he was an enabler, bad for me.
    Synonyms: head-shrinker
  3. (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.
Translations


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