Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Anglo-French
Origin: decreistre, from Latin decrescere, from crescere 'to grow'

decrease

1 verb
     
de‧crease1 [intransitive and transitive]
to become less or go down to a lower level, or to make something do this [↪ reduce; ≠ increase]:
Average house prices decreased by 13% last year.
decrease to
By 1881, the population of Ireland had decreased to 5.2 million.
decrease from
The North's share of the world's energy consumption is expected to decrease from 70% to 60%.
decrease in
Attacks of asthma decrease in frequency through early adult life.
The government wants to decrease population growth.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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