dwindling

verb

present participle of dwindle
1
as in reducing
to make smaller in amount, volume, or extent the long winter dwindled our supply of firewood to practically nothing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decreasing
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually our hopes dwindled as the reports of more casualties came in

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 dwindling Which means, of course, that our property tax revenue from said vacancies is dwindling — if Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle ever gets the bills out. — Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 Pressure is mounting to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as the International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that global oil stockpiles are dwindling rapidly. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026 Thanks to the shrinking publishing industry and dwindling writerly job market, the internet is rife with smart freelance editors, rigorous copy editors, and award-winning authors moonlighting as book doulas. — Keziah Weir, Vanity Fair, 13 Aug. 2026 Central Florida Congressman Cory Mills faces dwindling campaign funds and growing opposition from members of his own party, potentially imperiling his re-election bid with less than a week to go before the primary. — Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026 And while some sectors like feedlot farmers are beginning to reel from dwindling inventories, others—like ranchers—are being minted as the major winners. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026 Last year, the congregation celebrated the church’s 150th anniversary, but financial struggles, a lack of air conditioning, and dwindling membership led it to seek a new location and put the property up for sale. — Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Aug. 2026 The number of people who are able to handle A-level touring is dwindling, and the people who can are getting older. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026 Concerns about dwindling free cash flow are even more understandable given management commentary on earnings calls indicate that additional spending will be needed in the future. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dwindling
  1. reducing
  2. decreasing
  3. depleting
  4. diminishing
  5. subsiding
  6. declining
  7. shrinking
  8. vanishing
Verb
  • Drought conditions are also fueling devastating, costly wildfires and reducing crop yields, threatening to push up food prices.
    — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Reportedly this approach could boost reliability by reducing the number of mechanical components.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of reducing
Verb
  • Blue bands ranging from 90% to 25% show decreasing solar coverage across Europe, northern Africa, Canada and parts of the United States.
    — Raf Sanchez, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, the decline in China’s agricultural labor force, driven by the migration of farmers to urban and industrial centers, is also decreasing productivity.
    — Caitlin Welsh, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of decreasing
Verb
  • Years of overuse combined with drought and rising temperatures have been depleting Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir.
    — Ty O'Neil, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • That included the risk of dangerously depleting the number of defensive interceptor missiles available to the military’s Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the Middle East.
    — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
Definition of depleting
Verb
  • Similar ads run the risk of diminishing the ownership experience for some BMW buyers and reduce their sense of control over the driving experience.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The pollution is expected to drift into the Bay Area, stealthily diminishing air quality without the signature campfire smell associated with wildfire smoke, according to Anthony Edwards, the San Francisco Chronicle’s newsroom meteorologist.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of diminishing
Verb
  • Key Background The crisis appeared to be subsiding somewhat Friday as Spanish authorities said a majority of the 60,000 people who crossed into Ceuta from Morocco over the past several days had returned home.
    — Sara Dorn, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • India, one of the world's most prolific IPO markets, was gearing up for issues worth $50 billion as tension in the Middle East were subsiding.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 9 July 2026
Definition of subsiding
Verb
  • Farage did not give a victory speech after declining to attend the declaration, claiming police had warned of a campaign to disrupt it.
    — Reagan Yip, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Is the town’s population growing or declining, and by how much?
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of declining
Verb
  • The 2025 report found that the Arctic experienced its warmest year on record, fueling melting glaciers, shrinking sea ice, and shifts in local ecosystems.
    — Daniel Peck, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Given China’s shrinking labor force and the effects of overproduction and climate change on its arable land, Beijing is likely to remain reliant on foreign food products in the coming years.
    — Caitlin Welsh, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of shrinking
Verb
  • The proof relied on certain sequences vanishing to zero and referenced the group’s 2009 paper.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 5 Aug. 2026
  • One week after Connecticut reserved $500 million from last year’s surplus to potentially replace vanishing federal dollars for human services, surging revenues already have replenished much of the state’s coffers.
    — Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of vanishing

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dwindles
dwindling
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Cite this Entry

“Dwindling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dwindling. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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