[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/decrease.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / decrease

[← D](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/D/)

# decrease

«decrease» in Mova's school dictionary: **to become smaller or fewer in size, number or amount** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (decrease, decreases, decreased, decreasing); noun (a decrease, decreases)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To decrease is to become smaller or fewer in size, number or amount. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#m1)

2) To decrease something is to make it smaller or less. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#m2)

3) A decrease is a fall in amount or number. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In maths, decrease means take away or reduce: «decrease 50 by 10» gives 40, and a percentage decrease of 10% of 50 is 5. In science, temperature, speed or population can decrease; on a graph a decrease is a line going down. Phrases: decrease by, decrease in, a sharp decrease, increase and decrease.

### examples

- Decrease 20 by 5 and you get 15. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x1)
- The temperature decreased at night. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x2)
- The number of bees has decreased. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x3)
- There was a decrease in the price of apples. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x4)
- Slow down to decrease your speed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x5)
- The graph shows a steady decrease. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x6)
- Sales decreased by half. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x7)
- As the warmth increased, the Snow Man decreased. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/#x8)

### note

Stress: verb usually de-CREASE, noun DE-crease. Opposite: increase. Trap in maths: «decrease by 3» means subtract 3, but «decrease to 3» means the new number is 3. A percentage decrease is worked out from the starting amount.

### In the corpora

- [And the waters returned from off the earth continually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/GEN.198/)
- [He blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth not their cattle to decrease.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.1992/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «decrease» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/decrease/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.