decrease When something goes down, it decreases. These sentences show how "decrease" can be used as a verb: - The temperature decreased a few degrees in the last hour.
- Sales at that store are decreasing.
- Interest rates are decreasing.
- The number of students at that school has been decreasing.
- The company needs to decrease the amount of pressure it’s putting on the workers.

Earnings have have been decreasing lately. In these sentences, "decrease" is a noun: - There has been a decrease in the temperature.
- We noticed a decrease in his attendance.
- If there’s a decrease in traffic, the state won’t have to build a new highway in this area.
- The police say that a decrease in crime is due to their effort to get guns off the street.
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