[countable, usually singular, uncountable] decline (in something) | decline (of something) a continuous decrease in the number, value, quality, etc. of something a rapid/sharp/gradual decline urban/economic decline The company reported a small decline in its profits. An increase in cars has resulted in the decline of public transport. The town fell into (a) decline(= started to be less busy, important, etc.) after the mine closed. Industry in Britain has been in decline since the 1970s. Wordfindertrendboom, decline, dip, fluctuate, level off/out, peak, plateau, plummet, slump, trend Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecatastrophic, considerable, dramatic, … verb + declineexperience, fall into, go into, … decline + verboccur, begin prepositionin decline, on the decline, decline in, … phrasesthe decline and fall of something See full entry See related entries: Trends Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French decliner, from Latin declinare ‘bend down, turn aside’, from de- ‘down’ + clinare ‘to bend’.Extra examples Most of the decline occurred in the 1990s. The cloth trade went into gradual decline. The increased gold price lead to the decline of his jewellery business. The industry is still in decline. They lament the decline of old-fashioned communities. This area has been on the decline for some years now. We have seen a sharp decline in educational standards over recent years. We must halt this decline in health services. a steady decline in manufacturing a steep decline in sales an industry in terminal decline the decline and fall of a great civilization the decline of British farming the decline of small farming communities the moral decline of the nation The town fell into (a) decline after the mine closed. These measures have failed to reverse the country’s economic decline.
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