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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This page was first published on June 19, 2012. It was updated on February 4, 2016.