Word.ws English Dictionary

shrinks

shrinks is the third-person singular simple present indicative of shrink.

shrinks is the plural 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

Phrases with shrinks

Questions about shrinks

What is shrinks the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Shrinks is the third-person singular simple present indicative of shrink.

Words near shrinks in the dictionary

  1. shrinking violets
  2. shrinkingly
  3. shrinkings
  4. shrinkproof
  5. shrinkproofness
  6. shrinks
  7. shrinks away
  8. shrinks back
  9. shrinks down
  10. shrinks up
  11. shrinkwrap

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: shrinks (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.

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