| English > English | |
|
| declines | |
| 1. n. plural of decline |  |
| decline | |
| 1. n. A reduction or diminution of activity. | |
| 2. v. (intransitive) To move downwards, to fall, to drop. | |
| The dollar has declined rapidly since 2001. | |
| 3. v. (intransitive) To become weaker or worse. | |
| My health declined in winter. | |
| 4. v. To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall. | |
| 5. v. To cause to decrease or diminish. | |
| 6. v. To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw. | |
| a line that declines from straightness | |
| conduct that declines from sound morals | |
| 7. v. To refuse, forbear. | |
| On reflection I think I will decline your generous offer. | |
| 8. v. (transitive, grammar, usually of substantives, adjectives and pronouns) To inflect for case, number and sometimes gender. | |
| 9. v. (by extension) To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun. | |
| 10. v. (American football, Canadian football) To reject a penalty against the opposing team, usually because the result of accepting it would benefit the non-penalized team less than the preceding play. | |
