Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- intransitive v. To become constricted from heat, moisture, or cold.
- intransitive v. To become reduced in amount or value; dwindle: His savings quickly shrank.
- intransitive v. To draw back instinctively, as from something alarming; recoil.
- intransitive v. To show reluctance; hesitate: shrink from making such a sacrifice.
- transitive v. To cause to shrink.
- n. The act of shrinking.
- n. The degree to which something shrinks; shrinkage.
- n. Slang A psychotherapist.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. To contract, to (cause to) become smaller.
- v. To cower or flinch.
- v. To attempt to avoid an unwanted or intimidating duty; as, to shrink from a task.
- n. shrinkage; contraction; recoil
- n. A psychiatrist or therapist; a head-shrinker.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- n. The act shrinking; shrinkage; contraction; also, recoil; withdrawal.
- n. a psychiatrist.
- intransitive v. To wrinkle, bend, or curl; to shrivel; hence, to contract into a less extent or compass; to gather together; to become compacted.
- intransitive v. To withdraw or retire, as from danger; to decline action from fear; to recoil, as in fear, horror, or distress.
- intransitive v. To express fear, horror, or pain by contracting the body, or part of it; to shudder; to quake.
- transitive v. To cause to contract or shrink.
- transitive v. To draw back; to withdraw.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To contract spontaneously; draw or be drawn into less length, breadth, or compass by an inherent property: as, woolen cloth shrinks in hot water; a flaxen or hempen line shrinks in a humid atmosphere.
- To diminish; reduce.
- To shrivel: become wrinkled by contraction, as the skin.
- To draw back or retire, as from danger; recoil physically, as in fear, horror, or distrust; sometimes, simply, to go aside.
- To decline or hesitate to act, as from fear; recoil morally or mentally, as in fear, horror, distrust, distaste, and the like.
- To express fear, horror, or pain by shrugging or contracting the body; wince; flinch.
- Synonyms See shrivel.
- 4–6. To flinch, blench.
- To cause to contract: as, to shrink flannel by immersing it in boiling water.
- To make smaller; make appear smaller.
- To withdraw: formerly with in.
- The act of shrinking; a spontaneous drawing into less compass.
- A contraction.
- A shrug.
- A diminution; a falling away; shrinkage.
- A withdrawing from fear or horror; recoil.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. draw back, as with fear or pain
- v. become smaller or draw together
- v. reduce in size; reduce physically
- v. decrease in size, range, or extent
- n. a physician who specializes in psychiatry
- v. wither, as with a loss of moisture
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Examples
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My buddy the shrink is here,. liite Sunday Aftyernon football and steaks
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Oh well, as they say in shrink school, schizo's believe in castles in the sky, psycho's live in them.
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Once Washington volunteered to lend both his services and his prestige to leading the Continental Militia (and later national Army), he did not shrink from the hardship, nor the task ahead.
Your History Moment: Father of His Country « Third Point of Singularity
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But thats what I tell my scotch drinkin "shrink friend" when the pontificatiion gets more thnan my humble Norwegian countenance can stand.
Rifle Shooting's 10 Most Significant Developments of the Decade
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But we don't shrink from a fight here at MTV News so we're endeavoring to settle the argument once and for all.
Who Is The Greatest Badass Of All Time? MTV News’ Search Begins! » MTV Movies Blog
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We naturally shrink from the thought of death, and of its attendant circumstances; but all that is hateful and fearful about it will be fulfilled in our case, one by one.
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Small firms typically buy basic clerical and accounting software in shrink-wrap boxes and run them on a company computer.
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DC Heroes DCU rpg lot Huge 14 modules new in shrink
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Wood said the retail industry's national average for shrink is 1.7 percent of sales.
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I was anxious and watchful, while my right hand grasped a pistol which was hidden in my bosom; every sound terrified me; but I resolved that I would sell my life dearly, and not shrink from the conflict until my own life, or that of my adversary, was extinguished.
Telofy commented on the word shrink
How did "shrink" come to mean a psychiatrist?
March 28, 2009
dontcry commented on the word shrink
*switches to tea*
October 24, 2008
reesetee commented on the word shrink
You wouldn't have to because he doesn't have any. Or so he claims.
October 24, 2008
bilby commented on the word shrink
Oh. Man, I wouldn't dare touch palooka's boobs.
October 24, 2008
reesetee commented on the word shrink
I was attempting to draw out palooka, bilby. ;->
You're right--there must be several cup jokes here. If only we could find them.
October 24, 2008
dontcry commented on the word shrink
If you're coffee is 'grand enough to trot a mouse across'- you only need one cup a day!
There's a cup joke in there somewhere...
October 24, 2008
bilby commented on the word shrink
Uhhh, are we in manboob territory here?
October 24, 2008
reesetee commented on the word shrink
But what about men's breasts?
October 24, 2008
bilby commented on the word shrink
"Scientists have discovered that drinking just three cups of coffee a day can make women's breasts shrink. Nearly 300 women were surveyed about their bust measurements and how many cups of coffee they drank in an average day. According to researchers, three cups a day was enough to start making breasts shrink, with the effects increasing for every cup drunk."
- 'Drinking three cups of coffee a day 'shrinks women's breasts'', dailymail.co.uk, 22 Oct 2008.
October 24, 2008