| Front | shrink |
|---|---|
| Back | shrink verb, noun BrE /ʃrɪŋk/ NAmE /ʃrɪŋk/ verb verb forms word origin thesaurus example bank (shrank /BrE ʃræŋk ; NAmE ʃræŋk/shrunk /BrE ʃrʌŋk; NAmE ʃrʌŋk/) or (shrunk, shrunk) 1 [intransitive, transitive] ~ (sth) to become smaller, especially when washed in water that is too hot; to make clothes, cloth, etc. smaller in this way My sweater shrank in the wash. 2 [intransitive, transitive] to become or to make sth smaller in size or amount The tumour had shrunk to the size of a pea. The market for their products is shrinking. ~ sth There was a movie called ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’. Television in a sense has shrunk the world. see also shrunken 3 [intransitive] + adv./prep. to move back or away from sth because you are frightened or shocked cower He shrank back against the wall as he heard them approaching. a ˌshrinking ˈviolet (humorous) a way of describing a very shy person ˈshrink from sth to be unwilling to do sth that is difficult or unpleasant We made it clear to them that we would not shrink from confrontation. ~ doing sth They did not shrink from doing what was right. noun word origin (slang, humorous) a psychiatrist or psychologist She sees her shrink once a week. |
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