MEANING
To draw back or hesitate because something seems frightening, unpleasant, or difficult.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- shrink from a task
- shrink back in fear
- shrink from confrontation
On the page
She shrank back when the dog bared its teeth.
He would not shrink from the difficult conversation again.
The recruits shrank from the prospect of crossing the exposed ridge.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- shrink / shrinks
- Third-person present
- shrinks
- Past tense
- shrank
- Past participle
- shrunk
- Present participle
- shrinking
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- shrink / shrinks / shrinks
- Present continuous
- am/is/are shrinking
- Present perfect
- have/has shrunk
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been shrinking
- Past
- shrank
- Past continuous
- was/were shrinking
- Past perfect
- had shrunk
- Past perfect continuous
- had been shrinking
- Future
- will shrink / shrinks
- Future continuous
- will be shrinking
- Future perfect
- will have shrunk
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been shrinking
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: fear. Often takes from in the figurative sense; also means become smaller physically. Broader than fear, so identify the aversive prospect. Verb forms (base, third-person singular, past, past participle, -ing): shrink, shrinks, shrank, shrunk, shrinking. Shrunk is also established as a simple past; shrank remains the preferred default here.
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