verb / noun · formal
decrease
/ˈdiː.kriːs/ (n), /dɪˈkriːs/ (v)DE·crease
become smaller in number, amount, or degree; (n) the act or instance of becoming smaller
Examples
“Unemployment decreased slightly in the second quarter.”
“There was a notable decrease in oil production last year.”
“The figures decreased from 12% to 7% over five years.”
Band 8 sentence
“After peaking in 2008, commuter numbers decreased steadily, falling from nearly 1.2 million to just under 800,000 by 2016.”
Collocations
- decrease significantly / a significant decrease
- decrease gradually
- decrease by 5% / decrease to 10%
Word family
Common mistakes
The rate decrease slowly during the period.→The rate decreased slowly during the period.
There was a decrease of the number of students.→There was a decrease in the number of students.
A big decrease happened in 2010s.→A big decrease occurred in the 2010s.
Say it for a higher band
5go down→6drop→7+decrease
Synonyms
fall
drop
Easily confused
fall
“Sales fell sharply in July.”
drop
“Profits dropped dramatically after the crisis.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Rise & fall
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