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

As his mobility declines, he’s been unable to extend plays to attack downfield and has appeared unwilling to take some of the contact necessary to create explosive plays. —

Mike Defabo, New York Times, 17 May 2026 As Simpson declines, the actress appears frail, diminished, stripped of poise and makeup. —

Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2026 This is noteworthy because muscle naturally declines with age, so maintaining muscle mass via food and lifestyle is vital. —

Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 15 May 2026 As a result, productivity per engineer declines. —

Prashanthi Kolluru, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 Allegations pile up, but Child Protective Services declines to investigate and the school district continues to promote Ronnie Stoner. —

NPR, 14 May 2026 While Mecum declines to give a price estimate for sales without a reserve, a value range of $400,000 to $500,000 is realistic. —

Howard Walker, Robb Report, 13 May 2026 That's worse than the trends seen between November and mid-April, when category declines were just 3%. —

Brandon Gomez, CNBC, 13 May 2026 Resolution holds steady through f/8, declines slightly from f/11-16, and falls off sharply at the smallest aperture settings, f/22-32. —

Jim Fisher, PC Magazine, 13 May 2026

Noun

Further declines in home prices would deepen the hit to household balance sheets, said Lizzi Lee, a fellow at Center for China Analysis, noting that the property downturn has already inflicted significant job losses across construction and related sectors. —

Anniek Bao,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 18 May 2026 This year might not be any different, with the pros looking for single-digit declines in both revenues and profits. —

Brett Owens, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026 Sales at Li Auto have been under pressure over the past 12 months, with year-on-year declines persisting across much of the period, signaling a tougher market backdrop. —

Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026 Winters and unincorporated areas experienced the steepest declines, with homelessness falling by more than 45%. —

Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 16 May 2026 Sudden declines in school performance, secrecy, irritability or new risk-taking behaviors may warrant closer attention. —

Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 15 May 2026 The other four showed no significant association, though the study authors wrote that those clocks tend to be less sensitive to detecting biological declines. —

Allison Forsyth, Health, 15 May 2026 Research from Education Next shows the declines are not only in older grades, but also in pre-K and kindergarten. —

Tina Dello Russo, Boston Herald, 10 May 2026 The data also show a more recent turnaround, with declines in such crime and improved clearance rates. —

Hailey Wang, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for declines

Verb

Each person gets a single scene but feels utterly real, with Will Dagger a standout as the cousin, leaking needy bravado, and Constance Shulman very funny as the funeral director, determined to stage a party for a host who refuses to throw one.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 21 May 2026
The journalist turns his attention to Oda Sotatsu, a man who has admitted to a string of disappearances but refuses to speak another word after surrendering to police.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 May 2026