decline
decline — verb
1. to become smaller in size, amount, or value over a period of time, or to move to
to become smaller in size, amount, or value over a period of time, or to move to a lower level of quality or strength.
The company's profits declined sharply after the new competitor entered the market.
decline + adverb of degree (sharply)
Yan's health began to decline after she turned eighty.
As the afternoon wore on, the temperature declined by nearly eight degrees.
Water quality in the river has declined because of waste from local factories.
- decrease
more neutral and factual; works for numbers and amounts but not typically for health or quality
- deteriorate
stronger negative tone, used mainly for quality or condition getting worse
- drop
faster and often more sudden than 'decline'; can describe a one-time event
- fall
similar to 'drop' but often used for prices, temperatures, or values
文法句型
decline + adverb
decline + in + noun
用法筆記
Commonly used with adverbs describing speed or degree, such as 'sharply,' 'steadily,' 'gradually,' and 'rapidly.' The subject is typically a measurable thing (profits, quality, health, temperature) rather than a person acting deliberately.
常見錯誤
2. to politely say that you will not accept an invitation, offer, or suggestion mad
to politely say that you will not accept an invitation, offer, or suggestion made to you.
Megan declined the invitation to the conference because of a prior commitment.
decline + invitation / offer / request
When offered a second slice of cake, Selim politely declined.
intransitive use: politely decline
The bank declined their request for a larger loan.
Naoko declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
Sophia was offered the promotion but she declined, saying she preferred her current role.
文法句型
decline + noun phrase (offer/invitation)
decline to + infinitive
用法筆記
More polite and formal than 'refuse.' Appropriate for invitations, offers, and requests in both social and professional contexts. The construction 'decline to + infinitive' is common for refusing to act or speak, especially in journalism ('declined to comment').
常見錯誤
3. (in grammar) to list or produce the set of forms that a word takes as its role i
(in grammar) to list or produce the set of forms that a word takes as its role in a sentence changes — for instance, when a noun switches from subject to object, or from singular to plural.
In Latin class, students must learn to decline nouns in five different cases.
decline + noun / pronoun / adjective
Mr. Kim asked the class to decline the adjective 'bonus' for homework.
In German class, the teacher showed Feng how German declines its adjectives while English does not.
Anjali carefully declined each German pronoun into four cases on her grammar worksheet.
文法句型
decline + noun (noun/pronoun/adjective)
noun declines
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive: 'Latin nouns are declined in five cases.' This sense is technical and appears mainly in linguistics textbooks, language classes, and grammar discussions. Distinguish from sense 1 — here the change is in grammatical form, not in quantity or quality.
常見錯誤
decline — noun
1. a gradual loss in amount, value, quality, or importance over time, often moving
a gradual loss in amount, value, quality, or importance over time, often moving toward a weaker or worse condition.
The decline of the Roman Empire took place over several centuries.
decline of + entity (an empire, civilization, company)
The town's economy has been in decline since the factory closed.
in decline — currently decreasing or getting worse
Scientists warned about the rapid decline in the number of wild tigers.
A sharp decline in sales forced the company to lay off forty workers.
Historians still debate the causes of the decline and fall of the Maya civilization.
- decrease
more neutral and often used for numbers and statistics
- downturn
specifically economic; suggests a temporary period
- deterioration
stronger negative tone; focuses on quality getting worse
- recession
formal economic term for a period of reduced activity
- increase
general opposite — growth in amount or size
- rise
upward movement in value, amount, or quality
- improvement
specifically about quality getting better
文法句型
decline in + noun
decline of + noun
in decline
用法筆記
Often used with prepositions: 'decline in [something]' for the specific thing decreasing, 'decline of [something]' for the entity itself. The phrase 'in decline' describes an ongoing process, while 'on the decline' suggests a downward trend that is still active.
常見錯誤
2. the process of a person's physical or mental abilities becoming weaker, especial
the process of a person's physical or mental abilities becoming weaker, especially as a result of aging, illness, or injury.
After her stroke, Gabriela experienced a steady decline in her mobility.
decline in + ability (mobility, eyesight, memory)
The doctor said that some memory decline is normal as people grow older.
Nikhil's family noticed a gradual decline in his eyesight over the past year.
Dr. Chen told Dahlia that daily walks could slow her physical decline as she aged.
- deterioration
more clinical; often used in medical contexts
- weakening
simpler and more direct; describes loss of strength
- degeneration
medical term for progressive loss of tissue or function
- recovery
return to a healthy or strong state after illness
- improvement
positive change in health or ability
文法句型
decline in + ability/faculty
cognitive/physical/mental decline
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively in contexts of aging, chronic illness, or age-related changes. Common collocations include 'cognitive decline,' 'physical decline,' and 'mental decline.' Can also refer to environmental or ecological systems losing vitality, though this is less common.
常見錯誤
3. a piece of ground that slopes downward from a higher point to a lower point, or
a piece of ground that slopes downward from a higher point to a lower point, or the angle of such a slope.
The path follows a gentle decline down to the lake.
gentle / steep decline — describing gradient
The house sits at the top of a steep decline that leads to the village.
From the ridge, a grassy decline opens into the valley below.
Cyclists had to slow down when they reached a sudden decline in the road.
文法句型
gentle/steep decline
decline to + location
用法筆記
Less common than 'slope' or 'hill.' Often paired with 'gentle' or 'steep' to describe the gradient. Used more in descriptive writing and landscape descriptions than in everyday conversation.