1. Process or result of becoming less or smaller
   "The shrinking of the glacier was evident year after year";
   - shrinkage
    
2. The act of becoming less
   "The shrinking of the ice caps is a clear sign of global warming"

1. Become smaller or draw together
   "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank";
   - contract
    
2. Reduce in size; reduce physically
   "Hot water will shrink the sweater"; "Can you shrink this image?";
   - reduce
    
3. Draw back, as with fear or pain
   "she shrank when they showed the slaughtering of the calf";
   - flinch, squinch [N. Amer], funk, cringe, wince, recoil, quail, blench
    
4. Become dry, thin and weak or dead due to loss of water
   "The fruit dried and shrank";
   - shrivel, shrivel up, wither

Derived forms: shrinkings

Type of: come down, decrease, dent, diminish, diminution, drop-off, fall, go down, lessen, lessening, minify, move, reduction, sink, step-down

Antonym: expand

Encyclopedia: Shrinking