[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/shrink/)

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# shrink

verb (shrink, shrinks, shrank, shrunk, shrinking); noun (shrink — informal word for a mental health doctor)

«shrink» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To shrink means to get smaller, or to make something smaller. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#m1)
2. Clothes can shrink when they are washed in hot water. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#m2)
3. To shrink back or shrink away is to move back because you are afraid. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#m3)

### In the lessons

In maths: a decrease in size or amount; the new size is the old size minus the change; «shrank to 25» gives the new size, «shrank by 4» gives the change; scaling a shape down. In science: most things shrink when they get cold and grow when warm. In stories: Alice shrank after drinking from a bottle. Phrases: shrink by, shrink to, shrink in the wash, shrink away.

### Examples

- The sweater shrank by 4 cm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x1)
- The pond shrinks 2 cm each day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x2)
- How long is the shirt after it shrinks? [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x3)
- The class shrank from 30 to 25 pupils. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x4)
- My jumper shrank in the hot wash. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x5)
- Alice drank from the bottle and began to shrink. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x6)
- Metal shrinks a little when it gets cold. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x7)
- The puddle shrank in the hot sun. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x8)
- "Will the dog bite me?" asked Proserpina, shrinking closer to Pluto. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/#x9)

### Note

Irregular verb: shrink, shrank, shrunk. Opposite: grow, expand, stretch. Means take away: new = old − shrink. Trap: «shrank to 25» gives the new size, not the change.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «shrink» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/shrink/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«shrink» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/shrink.html) on Mova free.