shrink

[shringk] /ʃrɪŋk/
verb (used without object), shrank or, often shrunk; shrunk or shrunken; shrinking.
1.
to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance:
to shrink from danger; to shrink from contact.
2.
to contract or lessen in size, as from exposure to conditions of temperature or moisture:
This cloth will not shrink if washed in lukewarm water.
3.
to become reduced in extent or compass.
verb (used with object), shrank or, often shrunk; shrunk or shrunken; shrinking.
4.
to cause to shrink or contract; reduce.
5.
Textiles. to cause (a fabric) to contract during finishing, thus preventing shrinkage, during laundering, of the garments made from it.
noun
6.
an act or instance of shrinking.
7.
a shrinking movement.
8.
shrinkage.
9.
Also, shrinker. Also called head shrinker. Slang. a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst.
Origin
before 900; 1955-60 for def 9; Middle English schrinken, Old English scrincan; cognate with Middle Dutch schrinken, Swedish skrynka to shrink, Norwegian skrukka old shrunken woman
Related forms
shrinkable, adjective
shrinkingly, adverb
nonshrinkable, adjective
nonshrinking, adjective
nonshrinkingly, adverb
overshrink, verb, overshrank or, often overshrunk; overshrunk or overshrunken; overshrinking.
unshrinkable, adjective
unshrinking, adjective
unshrinkingly, adverb
Synonyms
1. withdraw, recoil, quail. See wince1 . 3. See decrease.
Antonyms
3. increase.
Examples from the web for shrink
  • In addition to relieving symptoms, they increase urinary flow and may even help shrink the prostate.
  • Bank failures would take out capacity, jobs would go and bonuses would shrink.
  • Below are some things the local people might say about their experiences since the sea began to shrink.
  • They can grow quickly when there's food around and shrink when there isn't.
  • They should be filled almost all the way to the top, because the cheese will shrink as it continues to drain.
  • We'll shrink these images to a manageable size that's easy to e-mail or upload to an online gallery.
  • Venture capitalists want the industry to shrink and have been calling for fewer funds to raise less money.
  • Worse, when scholars and others do not employ fair use, they shrink its effectiveness as a right.
  • Even as growth in emerging markets has come to a halt, the rich economies look set to shrink.
  • The message tells the cells to enlarge or to shrink.
British Dictionary definitions for shrink

shrink

/ʃrɪŋk/
verb shrinks, shrinking, shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken
1.
to contract or cause to contract as from wetness, heat, cold, etc
2.
to become or cause to become smaller in size
3.
(intransitive) often foll by from
  1. to recoil or withdraw: to shrink from the sight of blood
  2. to feel great reluctance (at): to shrink from killing an animal
noun
4.
the act or an instance of shrinking
5.
(slang) a psychiatrist
Derived Forms
shrinkable, adjective
shrinker, noun
shrinking, adjective
shrinkingly, adverb
Word Origin
Old English scrincan; related to Old Norse skrokkr torso, Old Swedish skrunkin wrinkled, Old Norse hrukka a crease, Icelandic skrukka wrinkled woman
Word Origin and History for shrink
v.

Old English scrincan "to draw in the limbs, contract, shrivel up; wither, pine away" (class III strong verb; past tense scranc, past participle scruncen), from Proto-Germanic *skrink- (cf. Middle Dutch schrinken), probably from PIE root *(s)ker- (3) "to turn, bend."

Originally with causal shrench (cf. drink/drench). Sense of "become reduced in size" recorded from late 13c. The meaning "draw back, recoil" (early 14c.) perhaps was suggested by the behavior of snails. Transitive sense, "cause to shrink" is from late 14c. Shrink-wrap is attested from 1961 (shrinking-wrap from 1959). Shrinking violet "shy person" attested from 1882.

n.

"an act of shrinking," 1580s, from shrink (v.). Slang meaning "psychiatrist," (1966) is from head-shrinker.

Slang definitions & phrases for shrink

shrink

noun

A psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, or other psychotherapist; headshrinker (1960+)