MEANING
To become progressively smaller in quantity, size, or strength.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- dwindling supplies
- dwindle to nothing
On the page
Their supplies dwindled as the road remained closed.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- dwindle
- Past tense
- dwindled
- Past participle
- dwindled
- Present participle
- dwindling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- dwindle
- Present continuous
- am/is/are dwindling
- Present perfect
- have/has dwindled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been dwindling
- Past
- dwindled
- Past continuous
- was/were dwindling
- Past perfect
- had dwindled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been dwindling
- Future
- will dwindle
- Future continuous
- will be dwindling
- Future perfect
- will have dwindled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been dwindling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: dwindle; dwindles; dwindled; dwindled; dwindling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: dwindles.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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