From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishshrinkshrink1 /ʃrɪŋk/ ●●○ verb (past tense shrank /ʃræŋk/, past participle shrunk /ʃrʌŋk/) 1 [intransitive, transitive]SMALL to become smaller, or to make something smaller, through the effects of heat or water I’m worried about washing that shirt in case it shrinks. → pre-shrunk, shrunken2 [intransitive, transitive]VALUELESS to become or to make something smaller in amount, size, or value OPP grow The city continued to shrink.shrink to The firm’s staff had shrunk to only four people. Treatment can shrink a tumour. We want to expand the business, not shrink it.3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]BACK/BACKWARDS to move back and away from something, especially because you are frightened She listened, shrinking under the blankets, to their shouts. Meredith was scared of him and shrank back. His anger was enough to make the others shrink away from him. → shrink from something→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
shrink• Don't wash that sweater in the machine - it'll shrink.• She was convinced he was shrinking.• Oh no! My skirt has shrunk!• After 5 months of chemotherapy treatment like this, the tumours shrank.• Its domestic share shrank from nearly 10 percent to just over 7 percent.• As we have already noted, he may well have been a militant nationalist who did not shrink from violence.• My sweater shrank in the dryer.• As the family has shrunk it has also lost some of its traditional functions to the public world.• Profits have been shrinking over the last year.• There has been a steadily shrinking supply of it.• We hope these reforms will shrink the nation's budget deficit.• This explains why even our most effective efforts to move people into jobs seem never to shrink the welfare rolls.• So mounds of snow never shrink, they turn into icebergs.shrinkshrink2 noun [countable] informal DOCTORa psychoanalyst or psychiatrist – used humorouslyExamples from the Corpus
shrink• Willis returns as a criminal on the run, hunted by cops, believed only by a shrink played by Madeleine Stowe.• Richard saw a shrink, who gave him a prescription for antidepressants.• That guy's crazy - he ought to see a shrink.• He went to another shrink, who prescribed another set of antidepressants.• She was sorry for him, but she was no shrink.• The shrinks at the hospital said they think Gary needs therapy.From Longman Business Dictionaryshrinkshrink /ʃrɪŋk/ verb (past tense shrank /ʃræŋk/, past participle shrunk /ʃrʌŋk/)1[intransitive] to become smaller in amount, size, or valueThe economy is expected to shrink slightly.In the past decade, the number of employees has shrunk 30%.Companies are battling for a share of the shrinking market.2[transitive] to reduce the amount, size, or value of somethingAn 11% drop in imports helped shrink the trade deficit.→ See Verb tableOrigin shrink1 Old English scrincan shrink2 (1900-2000) head-shrinker “psychiatrist” ((1900-2000)) 