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Definition of "decline" []

  • To express polite refusal. (verb-intransitive)
  • To slope downward; descend. (verb-intransitive)
  • To bend downward; droop. (verb-intransitive)
  • To degrade or lower oneself; condescend. (verb-intransitive)
  • To deteriorate gradually; fail. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "decline" in a sentence
  • "By now the manner of writing about a Pope in decline is as ritualized as a Holy Thursday mass at Saint Peter's."
  • "The pinyons died mainly because of an Ips epidemic I am not a big fan of the term decline as it is usually used for trees."
  • "This is the first time, I think I had ever use the term decline in reporting EPR's financial results."