SHRANK Synonyms: 119 Similar and Opposite Words

shrank

verb

variants or shrunk

Definition of shrank

past tense of shrink

as in compressed

to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter the sweater will shrink a little when washed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in recoiled

to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust shrinking back from the approaching flames

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in decreased

to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually his crush on her is likely to shrink after they start their new lives on different college campuses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 shrank But once the dominant slices of the emissions pie have shrunk, other categories with less potential to reduce emissions become important. — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026 As transistors shrank and chips grew denser, the process called for greater precision. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 But at the same time, Iraq's foreign currency reserves have shrunk by $20 billion and consumer prices have risen sharply, plunging it into economic crisis. — October 16, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Jio's enterprise valuation has shrunk to $118 billion from the $133 billion expected earlier, global brokerage Nomura said in a report on Sunday based on Bloomberg news last week that revealed the IPO pricing details. — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 The Labor Department said Wednesday that average weekly paychecks, when adjusted for inflation, shrank last month compared with a year ago for the first time since May. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 Rising temperatures and severe droughts have shrunk pastures. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026 Li also floated the possibility of using the vaccine in patients whose metastatic tumors have already been shrunk by other treatments. — Jason Mast, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026 Crispy rice bites like these hit a nostalgic note, the lunchbox feeling of a crispy square that is shrunk down to poppable size. — Danielle Bouchard, Martha Stewart, 8 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrank

Verb

How the whiplash is different now Now, the time frame is being compressed.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Full resolution can use a lot more storage There is a reason photo-sharing services have compressed images for years.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of compressed

Verb

Even a few Republican loyalists have recoiled at the extravagant pageantry, seemingly designed to flatter Xi and awe a domestic audience, although the absence of TV cameras at the Rose Garden ceremony undermined that low-ambition objective.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 26 Sep. 2026
The Colts bit on it, but Mahomes recoiled and looked over the middle of the field.

— Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of recoiled

Verb

Now the prevalence of malaria is around 7%, and deaths of children under five decreased by 78%.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
The definitive study of feedback, Avraham Kluger and Angelo DeNisi’s meta-analysis of 23,663 observations, found that over a third of feedback interventions decreased performance.

— Zaharia-Gabriel Sidere, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of decreased

Verb

Under their proposal, the intervening day before a vote to break a filibuster would be eliminated and debate time condensed, removing dead time from the Senate floor.

— Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026
The conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity and length.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of condensed

Verb

The teen in the green sweatshirt, Williams, momentarily flinched from the gunshot.

— Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Sipp slightly flinched his left arm before throwing a pitch to Emmanuel Burriss, allowing Miguel Tejada to score and sending San Francisco to its fourth straight win.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026

Definition of flinched

Verb

Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the 430 trees that were felled were not identified as hazardous or raising safety concerns.

— Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.

— Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of fell

Verb

Ryder’s Law was reintroduced this year after another carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park, and in a separate incident, tourist Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after falling off a carriage after the operator lost control.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
In Peru, the world’s largest catcher of anchovies, the fishing industry collapsed after the tiny baitfish abandoned the country’s waters for cooler northern climes.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of collapsed

Verb

Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched since July 3 due to lingering knee and biceps issues, winced in pain throughout his eight-pitch at-bat against reliever Riley O’Brien, seeming to strain himself with every muscle flex, let alone big-league hacks.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
My husband walked into the room and winced as one of the women changed into a perfect re-creation of an American Girl–doll outfit (very theater kid, not his thing).

— Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of winced

Browse Nearby Words

showy

shrank

shred

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Style

“Shrank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrank. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shrank

verb

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