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Fine Dictionary

shrink

ʃrɪŋk
WordNet
Title page from: Shrinking Hekelrod of a real Vrank and Vryen Batavier, by Johannes le Francq van Berkhey in 1787. Title page with twelve pages of text explaining the title picture.
Title page from: Shrinking Hekelrod of a real Vrank and Vryen Batavier, by Johannes le Francq van Berkhey in 1787. Title page with twelve pages of text explaining the title picture.
  1. (v) shrink
    decrease in size, range, or extent "His earnings shrank","My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me"
  2. (v) shrink
    become smaller or draw together "The fabric shrank","The balloon shrank"
  3. (v) shrink
    reduce in size; reduce physically "Hot water will shrink the sweater","Can you shrink this image?"
  4. (v) shrink
    wither, as with a loss of moisture "The fruit dried and shriveled"
  5. (v) shrink
    draw back, as with fear or pain "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"
  6. (n) shrink
    a physician who specializes in psychiatry
Illustrations
An iron card holder (Fer de Berlin). The holders consist of eight superimposed, ever-shrinking acanthus leaves on a volute base, which rests on a rectangular base decorated with acanthus leaf. On the acanthus leaves the initial letters of the days of the week (SMDMFS). On the back the inscriptions: 'Kratzenberg / Acad. Kunsth. in Berlin '' Deponirt bd Königl. Acad. d. Künste '. Note: Kratzenberg or Knabenberg.
An iron card holder (Fer de Berlin). The holders consist of eight superimposed, ever-shrinking acanthus leaves on a volute base, which rests on a rectangular base decorated with acanthus leaf. On the acanthus leaves the initial letters of the days of the week (SMDMFS). On the back the inscriptions: 'Kratzenberg / Acad. Kunsth. in Berlin '' Deponirt bd Königl. Acad. d. Künste '. Note: Kratzenberg or Knabenberg.
Judas kisses Christ on the cheek. The soldiers surround Christ, but shrink back (John 18:10). The print has a Latin caption and is part of a series about the passion, death and resurrection of Christ
Judas kisses Christ on the cheek. The soldiers surround Christ, but shrink back (John 18:10). The print has a Latin caption and is part of a series about the passion, death and resurrection of Christ
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
Interesting fact
From the age of thirty, humans gradually begin to shrink in size
  1. Shrink
    a psychiatrist.
  2. Shrink
    To cause to contract or shrink; as, to shrink finnel by imersing it in boiling water.
  3. Shrink
    To draw back; to withdraw. "The Libyc Hammon shrinks his horn."
  4. Shrink
    To express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
Interesting fact
15% regularly go to a shrink.
  1. shrink
    To contract spontaneously; draw or be drawn into less length, breadth, or compass by an inherent property: as, woolen cloth shrinks in hot water; a flaxen or hempen line shrinks in a humid atmosphere.
  2. shrink
    To diminish; reduce.
  3. shrink
    To shrivel: become wrinkled by contraction, as the skin.
  4. shrink
    To draw back or retire, as from danger; recoil physically, as in fear, horror, or distrust; sometimes, simply, to go aside.
  5. shrink
    To decline or hesitate to act, as from fear; recoil morally or mentally, as in fear, horror, distrust, distaste, and the like.
  6. shrink
    To express fear, horror, or pain by shrugging or contracting the body; wince; flinch.
  7. shrink
    Synonyms See shrivel.
  8. shrink
    To flinch, blench.
  9. shrink
    To cause to contract: as, to shrink flannel by immersing it in boiling water.
  10. shrink
    To make smaller; make appear smaller.
  11. shrink
    To withdraw: formerly with in.
  12. shrink
    The act of shrinking; a spontaneous drawing into less compass.
  13. shrink
    A contraction.
  14. shrink
    A shrug.
  15. shrink
    A diminution; a falling away; shrinkage.
  16. shrink
    A withdrawing from fear or horror; recoil.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary
Interesting fact
Smoking makes it almost impossible for a male to have a natural erection and it shrinks the penis. It also reduces the mobility of sperm.
  1. (v.i) Shrink
    shringk to contract: to wither: to occupy less space: to become wrinkled by contraction: to recoil, as from fear, disgust, &c
  2. (v.t) Shrink
    to cause to shrink or contract: to withdraw:—pa.t. shrank, shrunk; pa.p. shrunk
  3. (n) Shrink
    act of shrinking: contraction: withdrawal or recoil
Quotations
Thomas Szasz
Adulthood is the ever-shrinking period between childhood and old age. It is the apparent aim of modern industrial societies to reduce this period to a minimum.
Thomas Szasz
Anais Nin
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
Anais Nin
Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.
Niccolo Machiavelli
Publius Cornelius Tacitus
When a woman has lost her chastity she will shrink from nothing.
Publius Cornelius Tacitus
Eric Hoffer
There is in most passions a shrinking away from ourselves. The passionate pursuer has all the earmarks of a fugitive.
Eric Hoffer
Ambrose Bierce
Nominee. A modest gentleman shrinking from the distinction of private life and diligently seeking the honorable obscurity of public office.
Ambrose Bierce
Idioms

Shrinking violet - A shrinking violet is a shy person who doesn't express their views and opinions.

Etymology

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary OE. shrinken, schrinken, AS. scrincan,; akin to OD. schrincken, and probably to Sw. skrynka, a wrinkle, skrynkla, to wrinkle, to rumple, and E. shrimp, n. & v., scrimp,. CF. Shrimp

Usage in the news

With the shrinking number of Gotham music venues?who?re mostly worried about surviving?it?s getting harder to find interesting places. villagevoice.com

The 'Shrinking City' That Isn't Actually Shrinking. theatlantic.com

In a phenomenon known as "shrinking," post-industrial cities are facing steep population loss and vast expanses of abandoned property. pbs.org

This week marks my 10th anniversary as your Kitchen Shrink. lajollalight.com

Why Is the Labor Force Shrinking. theatlantic.com

Wall Street's shrinking job pool. money.cnn.com

Women are always looking for ways to layer , shrink, suck in, and smooth their bodies with some sort of shape-wear. blog.mlive.com

Life Span s Shrink for Least-Educated Whites in the U.S. Search All NYTimes.com. nytimes.com

Will vitamins extend your lifespan or just shrink your piggy bank. cbsnews.com

Tobacco Funds Shrink as Obesity Fight Intensifies. nytimes.com

The Incredible, Shrinking Modern Military. theatlantic.com

Cynics among us call it the incredible shrinking holiday. cleveland.com

The president plans to shrink the Pentagon. motherjones.com

Erhardt + Leimer has unveiled a new tool for measuring and monitoring shrink sleeves. labelandnarrowweb.com

Shrinking Medicaid funds pummel states. money.cnn.com

Usage in scientific papers

They pointed out that as the T 2 shrinks, a new dimension appears whose quantized momentum modes correspond to magnetic flux on the T 2 .
M(atrix) Theory: Matrix Quantum Mechanics as a Fundamental Theory

But in any case the radial wavenumber of the most unstable mode shrinks to zero (qx = 0).
The Effect of the Random Magnetic Field Component on the Parker Instability

Shrink now the I sets and replace them by a waiting time.
Random walks on randomly oriented lattices

As λ → ∞, the ball Bp shrinks to the point p and the coefficients gij tend to the constants gij (p).
Cheeger-Gromov Theory and Applications to General Relativity

The graph of ¯λ( · ) is obtained from that of λ( · ) by shrinking both the x–axis and the y–axis in √n times.
Kerov's central limit theorem for the Plancherel measure on Young diagrams

Usage in literature

On the other hand, we frequently meet people who make us shrivel and shrink into ourselves. "Pushing to the Front" by Orison Swett Marden

He took it in the same shrinking way, evidently expecting a blow, and drank heavily once more. "Mass' George" by George Manville Fenn

Never rub on soap, as this shrinks them in spots. "A Treatise on Domestic Economy" by Catherine Esther Beecher

His conscience is bare, and shrinking like a fresh wound. "Aurelian" by William Ware

Olive seemed to shrink painfully at this news. "Olive A Novel" by Dinah Maria Craik, (AKA Dinah Maria Mulock)

Not desiring notoriety, but shrinking from apparent concealment, Esther's distress was evident. "Oswald Langdon" by Carson Jay Lee

Rawhide shrinks a whole lot when it gits to drying. "Bloom of Cactus" by Robert Ames Bennet

The room was shrinking! "Beyond the Vanishing Point" by Raymond King Cummings

But I cannot bear that my children should shrink from all I shall leave behind, my memory. "Helen and Arthur" by Caroline Lee Hentz

The fallen man shrinks from further association with those who have witnessed his fall. "The Death Shot" by Mayne Reid

Usage in poetry
"But see!—from thee he shrinks, nor would
Be blasted by thy touch!—
Ah, though my EDWIN spilt thy blood,
Yet once he lov'd thee much.
"Edwin and Eltruda, a Legendary Tale" by Helen Maria Williams
Ah why go mourning all the day,
Or why should I from trials shrink?
Though much of sorrow's in my cup,
The cup that I am called to drink.
""My times are in thy hand,"" by Mary Ann H T Bigelow
Yet such as make poor mortals shrink
And fear, when they are told,
These things are signs that they must drink
With death; O then how cold.
"Of Death" by John Bunyan Author object (362)
Yea, song! shrink back to my spirit's lone deep,
Let others hear only thy moan --
But I -- I forever shall hear the grand sweep
Of thy mighty and tear-burdened tone.
"A Song" by Abram Joseph Ryan Author object (8)
What time I am where others be,
My heart seems very calm— Stone calm; but if all go from me,
There comes a vague alarm,
A shrinking in the memory
From some forgotten harm.
"Heart’s Chill Between" by Christina Georgina Rossetti Author object (113)
Nay, do not shrink! I am not here for passion,
I crave no love, only a little rest,
Although I would my face lay, lover's fashion,
Against the tender coolness of your breast.
"The Garden" by Laurence Hope