VocabauraVOCABAURA

shrink

verb · noun

Simple meaning

Become smaller or draw together.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

shringk
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈʃɹɪŋk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. Become smaller or draw together

  2. intransitive

    To become smaller; to contract.

  3. transitive

    To cause to become smaller.

  4. intransitive

    To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.

  5. Draw back, as with fear or pain

  6. transitive

    To draw back; to withdraw.

noun

  1. Shrinkage; contraction; recoil.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Become smaller or draw together

Used this way, shrink is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Mild
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use shrink

  • “Hot water will shrink the sweater.”verb

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “shrink”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

shrink backshrink awayshrink before

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • shrinkingnounInflected form

    Process or result of becoming less or smaller.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • shrink-wrapped softwarenounCompound term

    Software on CD-ROMs that are boxed and shrink-wrapped and sold in stores (implying a widely supported standard platform).

  • shrink-wrapnounCompound term

    The clinging transparent plastic film that is used to shrinkwrap something.

  • shrink fromverbCompound term

    Avoid (one's assigned duties).

  • shrinking violetnounCompound term

    Someone who shrinks from familiarity with others.

  • shrink backverbCompound term

    Pull away from a source of disgust or fear.

  • head-shrinkernounCompound term

    A physician who specializes in psychiatry.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: become smaller or draw together

contract

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Keep learning “shrink” by choosing the kind of practice you need next.

Know the meaning? Practice vocabulary in real situations.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.