Ways to Talk about DECREASING in English
Hi English learners. Teachers at my Lingua Academy have prepared a new vocabulary lesson for you. We will look at different ways to talk about decreasing in English. You can check the lesson about ways to talk about increasing here
To decrease something means to make something smaller in volume, size, number, value, etc. “Decrease” can be both a verb and a noun.
- The temperature was decreasing as it was getting dark. (verb)
- They reported a decrease in traffic accidents in the previous month. (noun)
Let’s look at some commonly used collocations using the word “decrease”.
- There’s been a significant decrease in the number of schoolchildren in the village.
- The level of water in the lake decreased by 10 per cent.
- The water content in the jar decreased slightly during the night.
- You should gradually decrease the amount of selenium you’re taking.
Here is the list of the words and phrases you can use to talk about decreasing.
- Decline
- Diminish
- Fall/drop
- Plunge / plummet
- Reduce
- Bring down
- Lower
- Cut
- Dwindle
Decline
Meaning: to decrease, a formal word we use when writing reports and similar or at presentations, especially with numbers and amounts.
- The number of tourists visiting the place has declined by 10 per cent in the previous period.
- After the coronavirus pandemic, prices have gone to high heaven and the standard of living has declined.
- The population of the village is steadily declining.
Diminish
Meaning: to become smaller in number, quantity, amount, etc. It is usually used with numbers and amounts. You can also use it to say that something has become weaker.
- The number of deer in the national park has diminished from 5000 to 500 in the past decade.
- Although he couldn’t forget her, Albert’s feelings for Mira have diminished and become less painful.
Fall/drop
Meaning: to decrease, especially if we are talking about large amounts.
- The temperature dropped by 10 degrees compared to yesterday.
- There were more than 10,000 stray dogs living in the city but their number dropped to 1,000 in the past decade.
Plunge/plummet
Meaning: to decrease suddenly and quickly and in a large amount.
- The company recorded a plunge in profit during the Coronavirus pandemic.
- The production is reduced significantly because of the plunge in demand.
- Prices of real estate have plummeted recently.
Reduce
Meaning: to make something smaller in number, size, amount, etc.
- After a month of dieting, Samantha managed to reduce her weight by 5 pounds.
- The ticket prices were reduced by 20 per cent.
- Careful driving will reduce the number of accidents.
Bring down
Meaning: to reduce the level, price, etc.
- We are planning to buy plane tickets when they bring down the prices.
- We brought down our cost of living by cooking meals at home.
- She took a Panadol to bring down the temperature.
Lower
Meaning: to reduce the amount, quantity, level, etc. It is more formal than bring down.
- They used the drug to lower blood pressure.
- The prices of computers were lowered by 5 per cent at the sale.
- Monica told her husband to lower his voice because the baby was sleeping.
Cut
Meaning; to reduce something by a large amount.
- The new trains will cut the time of travelling significantly.
- The company decided to cut the working week to 32 hours and start the weekend on Thursday.
- Molly decided to cut sweets completely from her diet.
Dwindle
Meaning: to decrease something gradually. It is also used to say that something is becoming less important, less popular, etc.
- The number of fish has dwindled in the past five years.
- Due to his extravagance, his fortune dwindled completely.
- After the incident, his popularity dwindled and finally, everyone forgot about him.
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