shrink

[shringk] verb, shrank or, often shrunk; shrunk or shrunk·en; shrink·ing; noun
verb (used without object)
1.
to draw back, as in retreat or avoidance: to shrink from danger; to shrink from contact.
2.
to contract or lessen in size, as from exposure to conditions of temperature or moisture: This cloth will not shrink if washed in lukewarm water.
3.
to become reduced in extent or compass.
verb (used with object)
4.
to cause to shrink or contract; reduce.
5.
Textiles. to cause (a fabric) to contract during finishing, thus preventing shrinkage, during laundering, of the garments made from it.
00:10
Shrinking is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
noun
6.
an act or instance of shrinking.
7.
a shrinking movement.
9.
Also, shrinker. Also called head shrinker. Slang. a psychotherapist, psychiatrist, or psychoanalyst.

Origin:
before 900; 1955–60 for def 9; Middle English schrinken, Old English scrincan; cognate with Middle Dutch schrinken, Swedish skrynka to shrink, Norwegian skrukka old shrunken woman

shrink·a·ble, adjective
shrink·ing·ly, adverb
non·shrink·a·ble, adjective
non·shrink·ing, adjective
non·shrink·ing·ly, adverb
o·ver·shrink, verb, o·ver·shrank or, often o·ver·shrunk; o·ver·shrunk or o·ver·shrunk·en; o·ver·shrink·ing.
un·shrink·a·ble, adjective
un·shrink·ing, adjective
un·shrink·ing·ly, adverb


1. withdraw, recoil, quail. See wince1. 3. See decrease.


3. increase.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
shrink (ʃrɪŋk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb (often foll by from) , shrinks, shrinking, shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken
1.  to contract or cause to contract as from wetness, heat, cold, etc
2.  to become or cause to become smaller in size
3.  a.  to recoil or withdraw: to shrink from the sight of blood
 b.  to feel great reluctance (at): to shrink from killing an animal
 
n
4.  the act or an instance of shrinking
5.  slang a psychiatrist
 
[Old English scrincan; related to Old Norse skrokkr torso, Old Swedish skrunkin wrinkled, Old Norse hrukka a crease, Icelandic skrukka wrinkled woman]
 
'shrinkable
 
adj
 
'shrinker
 
n
 
'shrinking
 
adj
 
'shrinkingly
 
adv

shrink (ʃrɪŋk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb (often foll by from) , shrinks, shrinking, shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken
1.  to contract or cause to contract as from wetness, heat, cold, etc
2.  to become or cause to become smaller in size
3.  a.  to recoil or withdraw: to shrink from the sight of blood
 b.  to feel great reluctance (at): to shrink from killing an animal
 
n
4.  the act or an instance of shrinking
5.  slang a psychiatrist
 
[Old English scrincan; related to Old Norse skrokkr torso, Old Swedish skrunkin wrinkled, Old Norse hrukka a crease, Icelandic skrukka wrinkled woman]
 
'shrinkable
 
adj
 
'shrinker
 
n
 
'shrinking
 
adj
 
'shrinkingly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

shrink
O.E. scrincan (class III strong verb; past tense scranc, pp. scruncen), from P.Gmc. *skrenkanan (cf. M.Du. schrinken), probably from PIE base *(s)ker- "to turn, bend." Originally with causal shrench (cf. drink/drench). The meaning "draw back, recoil" (c.1300) perhaps was suggested by the behavior of
snails. The slang sense of "psychiatrist" is first recorded 1966, from head-shrinker (1950). Shrink-wrap is attested from 1961.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

shrink definition


  1. n.
    a psychoanalyst or psychotherapist. : I dropped a bundle on a shrink, but it didn't help me.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Miniaturized electronics deserve some of the credit, but so do ever shrinking
  motors.
But faculty positions are shrinking in number, and many would-be scholars are
  therefore opting for careers with more promise.
Hawksbills are endangered because their beachfront nesting grounds and coral
  reef feeding grounds are shrinking.
It's still awful to contemplate a shrinking humanities.
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