decline

[dih-klahyn] /dɪˈklaɪn/
verb (used with object), declined, declining.
1.
to withhold or deny consent to do, enter into or upon, etc.; refuse:
He declined to say more about it.
2.
to express inability or reluctance to accept; refuse with courtesy:
to decline an invitation; to decline an offer.
3.
to cause to slope or incline downward.
4.
Grammar.
  1. to inflect (a noun, pronoun, or adjective), as Latin puella, declined puella, puellae, puellae, puellam, puella in the five cases of the singular.
  2. to recite or display all or some subset of the inflected forms of a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a fixed order.
verb (used without object), declined, declining.
5.
to express courteous refusal; refuse:
We sent him an invitation but he declined.
6.
to bend or slant down; slope downward; descend:
The hill declines to the lake.
7.
(of pathways, routes, objects, etc.) to follow a downward course or path:
The sun declined in the skies.
8.
to draw toward the close, as the day.
9.
to fail in strength, vigor, character, value, etc.; deteriorate.
10.
to fail or dwindle; sink or fade away:
to decline in popularity.
11.
to descend, as to an unworthy level; stoop.
12.
Grammar. to be characterized by declension.
noun
13.
a downward slope; declivity.
14.
a downward movement, as of prices or population; diminution:
a decline in the stock market.
15.
a failing or gradual loss, as in strength, character, power, or value; deterioration:
the decline of the Roman Empire.
16.
a gradual deterioration of the physical powers, as in later life or in disease:
After his seventieth birthday he went into a decline.
17.
progress downward or toward the close, as of the sun or the day.
18.
the later years or last part:
He became an editor in the decline of his life.
Origin
1275-1325; (v.) Middle English declinen < Old French: to inflect, turn aside, sink < Latin dēclīnāre to slope, incline, bend; compare Greek klī́nein to lean1; (noun) Middle English declin < Old French, derivative of decliner
Related forms
decliner, noun
predecline, verb (used with object), predeclined, predeclining.
redecline, verb, redeclined, redeclining, noun
undeclined, adjective
undeclining, adjective
Synonyms
1. reject. See refuse1 . 9. degenerate, decay, weaken, diminish, languish. 13. hill. 15. retrogression, degeneration, enfeeblement, weakening.
Antonyms
6. rise. 9. improve.
Examples from the web for decline
  • The cheetah's future may look dim, but conservationists have been working to lessen the decline in some areas.
  • It is important to look at all the different things that could cause a decline, including climate change.
  • Although the effects may not surface for years, memory starts to decline around age 25.
  • It is seldom good policy to decline to accept a resignation.
  • Tanaka said, the heart's intrinsic rate declines with age parallel to the maximum heart rate's decline with age.
  • Covel, who's been working the delta for 12 years, has seen the commercial fishery's decline.
  • The decline in stock indexes globally cannot reasonably be interpreted as entirely the result of a darker economic future.
  • To reverse downward trends, the causes of pollinator decline must be known.
  • My decline was immediately obvious.
  • In this case, the salmon's decline can be linked to too much concrete.
British Dictionary definitions for decline

decline

/dɪˈklaɪn/
verb
1.
to refuse to do or accept (something), esp politely
2.
(intransitive) to grow smaller; diminish: demand has declined over the years
3.
to slope or cause to slope downwards
4.
(intransitive) to deteriorate gradually, as in quality, health, or character
5.
(grammar) to state or list the inflections of (a noun, adjective, or pronoun), or (of a noun, adjective, or pronoun) to be inflected for number, case, or gender Compare conjugate (sense 1)
noun
6.
gradual deterioration or loss
7.
a movement downwards or towards something smaller; diminution
8.
a downward slope; declivity
9.
(archaic) any slowly progressive disease, such as tuberculosis
Derived Forms
declinable, adjective
decliner, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old French decliner to inflect, turn away, sink, from Latin dēclīnāre to bend away, inflect grammatically
Word Origin and History for decline
v.

late 14c., "to turn aside, deviate," from Old French decliner "to sink, decline, degenerate, turn aside," from Latin declinare "to lower, avoid, deviate, to bend from, inflect," from de- "from" (see de-) + clinare "to bend," from PIE *klei-n-, suffixed form of *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)). Sense has been altered since c.1400 by interpretation of de- as "downward." Meaning "not to consent, politely refuse," is from 1630s. Related: Declined; declining.

n.

early 14c., "deterioration, degeneration," from Old French declin (see decline (v.)).