Word.ws English Dictionary

shrinking

Syllables: shrink·ingUK/ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ/

shrinking is the present participle and gerund of shrink.

Meaning of shrink

Verb

shrink (third-person singular simple present shrinks, present participle shrinking, simple past shrank or (nonstandard) shrunk, past participle shrunk or shrunken)

  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.
    • The Libyc Hammon ſhrinks his horn,1629, John Milton, “On the Morning of Christs Nativity”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], published 1646, →OCLC, page 10
    Synonyms:
    funk, shirk
  5. (figuratively, intransitive) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
    • What happier natures shrink at with affright, / The hard inhabitant contends is right.1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC
  6. (intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.

See all 9 meanings of shrink

Adjective

shrinking (comparative more shrinking, superlative most shrinking)

  1. Shy and retiring.

Noun

shrinking (plural shrinkings)

  1. The act of one who, or that which, shrinks; act of becoming smaller or moving timidly away.
    • […] the silent grief beyond the power of words—the generous consolations of the noble sister—the shrinkings of the poor criminal, and his relapsings into a gentler penitence […]1822, The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal, volume 6, page 10
    • The notion of a gently-nurtured girl being at the mercy of that fiend incarnate […] was one which caused me tangible shrinkings of the body.1897, Richard Marsh, The Beetle

Antonyms of shrinking

Forms of shrinking

Adjective
comparativemore shrinking
superlativemost shrinking
Noun
pluralshrinkings

Origin of shrinking

From shrink + -ing.

Words formed from shrinking

Phrases with shrinking

Words that rhyme with shrinking

Questions about shrinking

What does shrinking mean?
Shrinking means shy and retiring.
What is shrinking the present participle and gerund of?
Shrinking is the present participle and gerund of shrink.
What part of speech is shrinking?
Shrinking can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce shrinking?
Shrinking is pronounced /ˈʃɹɪŋkɪŋ/ (UK).

Words near shrinking in the dictionary

  1. shrinkflates
  2. shrinkflating
  3. shrinkflation
  4. shrinkier
  5. shrinkiest
  6. shrinking
  7. shrinking away
  8. shrinking back
  9. shrinking down
  10. shrinking frog
  11. shrinking frogs

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: shrinking (page history and authors); shrink (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-shrinking.ogg.

Cite this entry: “shrinking.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/shrinking. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.