DECLINES Synonyms: 418 Similar and Opposite Words

declines 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of decline

as in refuses

to show unwillingness to accept, do, engage in, or agree to he declined the invitation to the party she declined to participate in the soccer game

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Relevance

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as in denies

to be unwilling to grant declined our request to hold a party

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as in falls

to go to a lower level especially abruptly new-car sales declined to their lowest level in years

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as in deteriorates

to become worse or of less value his reputation as a writer began to decline not long after his death

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as in decreases

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually the winds should decline as soon as the cold front passes

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as in plunges

to lead or extend downward the bike path declines toward the riverbank and then follows the river for several miles

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declines

2 of 2

noun

plural of decline

as in deteriorations

a change to a lower state or level the decline of the Roman Empire

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as in dips

a downward slope the bicyclist lost control on the unexpectedly steep decline

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as in demises

a loss of status the engagement at the small club was an unmistakable sign of the rock band's decline

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as in reductions

the amount by which something is lessened a huge decline in the value of the artwork after its authenticity was questioned

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of declines

Verb

The Salt Lake County clerk requests assistance to secure the polls, but the sheriff, unsure about jurisdiction, declines. — Barton Gellman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026 Steep declines across the tech space, led by Meta and the chip sector, saw Nasdaq log its worst day since June. — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Karl Smesko declines further comment on anthem Smesko was asked why his team had left the court shortly before each Finals anthem and returned shortly afterward, and whose decision that was. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Now consider what happens if Maryland declines to participate. — Claudia Nachtigal, Baltimore Sun, 21 Oct. 2026 Negative effect on enrollment and staffing When states take over school districts, student enrollment typically declines. — Daniel H. Robinson, The Conversation, 20 Oct. 2026 And women going through perimenopause and menopause lose muscle even faster because their estrogen declines. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Seek out care sooner when pain causes limping, swelling persists, function declines, or an injury follows a fall. — Michael Swartzon, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 Interest in Netflix’s existing series is showing signs of waning too, with many returning series posting season-to-season viewership declines. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

Noun

In another set of studies, adults who made more frequent and extreme upward comparisons reported an immediate decline in self-evaluation and cumulative declines in self-esteem and life satisfaction over a browsing session. — Ashwini Nadkarni, Time, 24 Oct. 2026 Negative divergences alone don't necessarily lead to immediate declines. — Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Both charter schools and traditional schools saw declines compared to last year’s October count, with charter schools losing about 1,000 students and traditional schools losing the remainder. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 So far, the most plausible driver of recent declines in overdose deaths is a change in the illicit drug supply. — J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026 In recent years, as global warming has intensified drought, salmon and other fish have suffered major declines. — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Du Halgouët cited weakness in the property market, low consumer confidence and a high savings rate, alongside recent declines in financial markets. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026 The activist has been pushing the company for months to sell itself, following double-digit sales declines in Fisher-Price and other key segments, as well as profit-margin pressures. — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Those investments have also lifted the stock market even as a growing swath of other companies have experienced sharp declines in their share prices. — Rob Wile, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for declines

Verb

Why this 78-year-old professor refuses to move Marvin's frustration goes beyond having robots share the sidewalk.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
The wart that refuses to go away is whatever is up with Vicki and Tamra.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of refuses

Verb

Lula’s victory also denies Trump another political ally in Latin America, which include Argentinian President Javier Milei and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 26 Oct. 2026
The investigation ended without charges against Collins or her staff, and her office denies wrongdoing.

— Emma Specter, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of denies

Verb

When carb intake falls sharply, the liver turns fat into ketones, an alternative fuel for the brain and other tissues that may cause less metabolic stress.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Bangladesh’s experience shows the challenge of containing an outbreak when vaccination coverage falls below 95%, a level the WHO says is needed to prevent outbreaks.

— Reuters, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of falls

Verb

Pyrad works by instantaneously thickening when exposed to fire, forming a char that diminishes heat exposure, extinguishes flames, and decreases the risk of third-degree burns.

— Derek Rose, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
The peak height of the histogram decreases as the number of tosses, N, gets larger.

— Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026