Definitions

shrank

[shrangk] / ʃræŋk /

VERB

become smaller

Synonyms

STRONGEST

decrease diminish drop off dwindle fall off lessen narrow reduce shorten shrivel wane weaken wither

STRONG

compress concentrate condense constrict contract deflate fail waste wrinkle

WEAK

fall short grow smaller waste away

Antonyms

STRONGEST

develop enlarge expand extend grow increase lengthen raise rise strengthen

STRONG

blow up loosen stretch

WEAK

face meet take on

VERB

recoil, shy away

Synonyms

STRONGEST

recede retreat

STRONG

blench boggle contract cower cringe crouch demur flinch huddle quail refuse retire scruple shudder slink wince withdraw

WEAK

draw back hang back

Antonyms

STRONGEST

advance forge

STRONG

accept allow consent face meet stretch

WEAK

develop enlarge expand grow take on

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Results of a nearly 40-person study of people with late-stage pancreatic cancer showed that the drug, when used as the first treatment, shrank tumors in nearly half of the people treated.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

For the first time in my life, I shrank with embarrassment.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

In Replimune’s trial, tumors shrank in nearly all patients and vanished in one of six.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

In 2025, the sector's workforce in Switzerland shrank for the first time since the Covid crisis, falling by 1.3 percent to 64,807 people, according to the Swiss Watch Industry Employers' Association.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

I shrank back into the doorway and watched.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom