shrink
[verb]
Synonyms:
- decrease, contract, diminish, dwindle, grow smaller, lessen, narrow, shorten
- recoil, cower, cringe, draw back, flinch, quail

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Antonyms: swell
Contrasted words: amplify, expand
Related Idioms: shrink (or dwindle) down to nothing
Related Words: shrivel (up), wither, cower, cringe, crouch, huddle, slink, draw (back), recede, retire, retreat, withdraw, boggle, demur, scruple

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English Thesaurus: doctor, GP, physician, quack, the medical profession, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. shrink¹ /ʃrɪŋk/ verb (past tense shrank /ʃræŋk/, past participle shrunk /ʃrʌŋk/)
[Language: Old English; Origin: scrincan]

1. [intransitive and transitive] to become smaller, or to make something smaller, through the effects of heat or water:
I’m worried about washing that shirt in case it shrinks. ⇒ pre-shrunk, shrunken

2. [intransitive and transitive] to become or to make something smaller in amount, size, or value Antonym : grow:
The city continued to shrink.
shrink to
The firm’s staff had shrunk to only four people.
Treatment can shrink a tumour.
We want to expand the business, not shrink it.

3. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move back and away from something, especially because you are frightened:
She listened, shrinking under the blankets, to their shouts.
Meredith was scared of him and shrank back.
His anger was enough to make the others shrink away from him.
shrink from something phrasal verb
to avoid doing something difficult or unpleasant:
The leadership too often shrinks from hard decisions.
shrink from doing something
We will not shrink from making the necessary changes in policy.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. shrink² noun [countable] informal
[Date: 1900-2000; Origin: head-shrinker 'psychiatrist' (1900-2000)]
a psychoanalyst or psychiatrist – used humorously

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

shrink
verb
I. become smaller
ADV. dramatically | a little, slightly | further | fast, rapidly competing in a market that is shrinking fast
gradually, slowly | steadily
PREP. by Their profits shrank by 4% last year.
from, to Their share of the market has shrunk from 14% to 5%.
PHRASES shrink in size Households have been shrinking in size but increasing in number.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

shrink
II. move away
ADV. a little He shrank a little at the sight of the blood.
away, back
VERB + SHRINK try to
PREP. against He shrank back against the wall.
in She shrank back in terror.
into I shrank back into the shadows.
from She shrank from his touch.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

doctor someone who treats people who are ill, who has completed a long course of study at medical school:
If you have bad chest pains, you should see a doctor.
GP British English a doctor who is trained in general medicine and who treats the people who live in a local area:
My GP told me that I must lose weight.
physician /fəˈzɪʃən, fɪˈzɪʃən/ formal especially American English a doctor:
the American physician, Dr James Tyler Kent
quack informal someone who pretends to be a doctor:
My father felt that people practicing alternative medicine were just a bunch of quacks.
the medical profession doctors and nurses considered as a group:
This view is widely accepted among the medical profession.
surgeon /ˈsɜːdʒən $ ˈsɜːr-/ a doctor who does operations in a hospital:
One of the world’s top heart surgeons performed the operation.
specialist a doctor with special knowledge about a particular illness, part of the body, or type of treatment:
The new drug is being tested by cancer specialists.
an eye specialist
consultant British English a very senior doctor in a hospital, with a lot of knowledge about a particular area of medicine:
The consultant said that he did not think it was cancer.
paramedic someone who has been trained to treat sick or injured people, especially at the scene of an accident:
Paramedics treated him for shock.
vet (also veterinarian especially American English) a doctor who treats animals:
We took the cat to the vet.
paediatrician British English, pediatrician American English a doctor who treats children who are sick
gynaecologist British English, gynecologist American English a doctor who treats medical conditions and illnesses that affect women’s bodies
obstetrician a doctor who deals with the birth of children
radiographer someone whose job is to take X-rays or to treat people using an X-ray machine
psychiatrist /saɪˈkaɪətrəst, saɪˈkaɪətrɪst $ sə-/ a doctor who is trained to treat people with mental illnesses:
In order to become a psychiatrist, you first need a medical degree.
psychologist /saɪˈkɒlədʒəst, saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst $ -ˈkɑː-/ a scientist who studies and is trained in psychology (=the study of the mind):
Many psychologists believe that aggression is a learned behaviour.
shrink informal a humorous word for a psychiatrist
therapist a trained person whose job is to help people with their emotional problems, especially by talking to them and asking them to talk about their feelings
medical student a student who is studying medicine in order to be a doctor:
James is a medical student at Edinburgh university.
intern American English a student who has almost finished studying to be a doctor, and who is working in a hospital

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

shrink
ʃrɪŋk
See: head shrinker

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲