Definitions for shrink
ʃrɪŋkshrink

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. psychiatrist, head-shrinker, shrinkverb

   a physician who specializes in psychiatry

2. shrivel, shrivel up, shrink, witherverb

   wither, as with a loss of moisture

   "The fruit dried and shriveled"

3. flinch, squinch, funk, cringe, shrink, wince, recoil, quailverb

   draw back, as with fear or pain

   "she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf"

4. shrink, reduceverb

   reduce in size; reduce physically

   "Hot water will shrink the sweater"; "Can you shrink this image?"

5. shrink, contractverb

   become smaller or draw together

   "The fabric shrank"; "The balloon shrank"

6. shrink, shrivelverb

   decrease in size, range, or extent

   "His earnings shrank"; "My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me"

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. shrinknoun

   shrinkage; contraction; recoil

   Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink, / That I had less to praise. uE0005131uE001 Leigh Hunt.

2. shrinknoun

   A psychiatrist or therapist; a head-shrinker.

3. shrinkverb

   To contract, to (cause to) become smaller.

4. shrinkverb

   To cower or flinch.

   Molly shrank away from the blows of the whip.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shrinknoun

   Etymology: from the verb.

   1. Corrugation; contraction into less compass.

   There is, in this, a crack, which seems a shrink, or contraction in the body since it was first formed. John Woodward.

   2. Contraction of the body from fear or horrour.

   This publick death, receiv’d with such a chear,
   As not a sigh, a look, a shrink bewrays
   The least felt touch of a degenerous fear. Samuel Daniel, Civ. War.

2. To Shrinkverb

   participle pass. shrunk, shrank, or shrunken. To make to shrink. Not in use.

   O mighty Cæsar! d’ost thou lye so low?
   Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils,
   Shrunk to this little measure? William Shakespeare.

   The sixth age shifts
   Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon.
   His youthful hose well sav’d, a world too wide
   For his shrunk shank. William Shakespeare.

   If he lessens the revenue, he will also shrink the necessity. Taylor.

   Keep it from coming too long, lest it should shrink the corn in measure. John Mortimer.

3. To Shrinkverb

   preterite, I shrunk, or shrank; participle, shrunken.

   Etymology: scrincan , Saxon.

   1. To contract itself into less room; to shrivel; to be drawn together by some internal power.

   But to be still hot summer’s tantlings, and
   The shrinking slaves of winter. William Shakespeare, Cymbeline.

   I am a scribbled form, drawn with a pen
   Upon a parchment, and against this fire
   Do I shrink up. William Shakespeare, K. John.

   I have not found that water, by mixture of ashes, will shrink or draw into less room. Francis Bacon, Nat. History.

   Ill-weav’d ambition how much art thou shrunk!
   When that this body did contain a spirit,
   A kingdom for it was too small a bound:
   But now two paces of the vilest earth
   Is room enough. William Shakespeare.

   2. To withdraw as from danger.

   The noise encreases,
   She comes, and feeble nature now I find
   Shrinks back in danger, and forsakes my mind. Dryden.

   Am I become so monstrous, so disfigur’d,
   That nature stands agast;
   And the fair light which gilds this new made orb,
   Shorn of his beams, shrinks in. Dryden.

   Love is a plant of the most tender kind,
   That shrinks and shakes with ev’ry ruffling wind. George Granville.

   All fibres have a contractile power, whereby they shorten; as appears if a fibre be cut transversly, the ends shrink, and make the wound gape. Arbuthnot.

   Philosophy that touch’d the heav’ns before,
   Shrinks to her hidden cause, and is no more. Alexander Pope.

   3. To express fear, horrour, or pain, by shrugging, or contracting the body.

   There is no particular object so good, but it may have the shew of some difficulty or unpleasant quality annexed to it, in respect whereof the will may shrink and decline it. Hooker.

   The morning cock crew loud,
   And at the sound it shrunk in haste away,
   And vanish’d from our sight. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

   I’ll embrace him with a soldier’s arm,
   That he shall shrink under my courtesy. William Shakespeare.

   When he walks, he moves like an engine,
   And the ground shrinks before his treading. William Shakespeare.

   4. To fall back as from danger.

   Many shrink, which at the first would dare,
   And be the foremost men to execute. Samuel Daniel, Civil War.

   I laugh, when those who at the spear are bold
   And vent’rous, if that fail them, shrink and fear
   To endure exile, ignominy, bonds. John Milton.

   If a man accustoms himself to slight those first motions to good, or shrinkings of his conscience from evil, conscience will by degrees grow dull and unconcerned. Robert South, Sermons.

   The sky shrunk upward with unusual dread,
   And trembling Tyber div’d beneath his bed. Dryden.

   The gold-fraught vessel which mad tempests beat,
   He sees now vainly make to his retreat;
   And, when from far the tenth wave does appear,
   Shrinks up in silent joy, that he’s not there. Dryden.

   The fires but faintly lick’d their prey,
   Then loath’d their impious food, and would have shrunk away. Dryden.

   Fall on: behold a noble beast at bay,
   And the vile huntsmen shrink. Dryden.

   Inuring children to suffer some pain, without shrinking, is a way to gain firmness and courage. John Locke.

   What happier natures shrink at with affright,
   The hard inhabitant contends is right. Alexander Pope.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shrinkverb

   to wrinkle, bend, or curl; to shrivel; hence, to contract into a less extent or compass; to gather together; to become compacted

2. Shrinkverb

   to withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress

3. Shrinkverb

   to express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake

4. Shrinkverb

   to cause to contract or shrink; as, to shrink finnel by imersing it in boiling water

5. Shrinkverb

   to draw back; to withdraw

6. Shrinknoun

   the act shrinking; shrinkage; contraction; also, recoil; withdrawal

7. Etymology: [OE. shrinken, schrinken, AS. scrincan; akin to OD. schrincken, and probably to Sw. skrynka a wrinkle, skrynkla to wrinkle, to rumple, and E. shrimp, n. & v., scrimp. CF. Shrimp.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shrink

   Shrink is the fourth album by German indie rock/electronica group The Notwist. The album is notable for its movement away from the group's punk origins and including elements of electronica, ambient, and jazz.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Shrink

   shringk, v.i. to contract: to wither: to occupy less space: to become wrinkled by contraction: to recoil, as from fear, disgust, &c.—v.t. to cause to shrink or contract: to withdraw:—pa.t. shrank, shrunk; pa.p. shrunk.—n. act of shrinking: contraction: withdrawal or recoil.—adj. Shrink′able.—ns. Shrink′age, a contraction into a less compass: the extent of the reduction of anything in bulk by shrinking, evaporation, &c.; Shrink′er.—adv. Shrink′ingly, in a shrinking manner: by shrinking. [A.S. scrincan; akin to Ger. schränken, to place obliquely.]

Matched Categories

1. • Decrease
   • Move

How to pronounce shrink?

1. Alex

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How to say shrink in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of shrink in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of shrink in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of shrink in a Sentence

1. Kevin McCarthy:

   We want an economy that is strong. That means you can fill up your tank. You can buy the groceries. You have enough money left over to go to Disneyland and save for a future — that the paychecks grow, they no longer shrink.

2. Victoria Crandall:

   Chocolate companies (in North America and Europe) are more likely to increase retail prices and shrink sizes of chocolate bars, which has been the trend for the last year, however, in emerging markets where regulation is less robust and consumers are more price sensitive, like in Asia, this (using cheaper alternatives) could be a plausible option.

3. Leonardo Da Vinci:

   I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

4. Daphna Gelblum:

   Dose escalation has become feasible as we have gained a greater confidence in tumor location permitting us to shrink the size of our treatment windows and greatly reducing the normal tissue toxicity.

5. Sergei Chemezov:

   It could shrink a bit, within 10 percent, but a decision is not yet made.

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