The Meaning of decline

• (v. i.) To bend, or lean downward; to take a downward direction; to bend over or hang down, as from weakness, weariness, despondency, etc.; to condescend.
• (v. i.) To tend or draw towards a close, decay, or extinction; to tend to a less perfect state; to become diminished or impaired; to fail; to sink; to diminish; to lessen; as, the day declines; virtue declines; religion declines; business declines.
• (v. i.) To turn or bend aside; to deviate; to stray; to withdraw; as, a line that declines from straightness; conduct that declines from sound morals.
• (v. i.) To turn away; to shun; to refuse; -- the opposite of accept or consent; as, he declined, upon principle.
• (v. t.) To bend downward; to bring down; to depress; to cause to bend, or fall.
• (v. t.) To cause to decrease or diminish.
• (v. t.) To put or turn aside; to turn off or away from; to refuse to undertake or comply with; reject; to shun; to avoid; as, to decline an offer; to decline a contest; he declined any participation with them.
• (v. t.) To inflect, or rehearse in order the changes of grammatical form of; as, to decline a noun or an adjective.
• (v. t.) To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun.
• (v. i.) A falling off; a tendency to a worse state; diminution or decay; deterioration; also, the period when a thing is tending toward extinction or a less perfect state; as, the decline of life; the decline of strength; the decline of virtue and religion.
• (v. i.) That period of a disorder or paroxysm when the symptoms begin to abate in violence; as, the decline of a fever.
• (v. i.) A gradual sinking and wasting away of the physical faculties; any wasting disease, esp. pulmonary consumption; as, to die of a decline.

Synonyms

fall , decay , downslope , descent , declension , declivity , decrease , step-down , reduction , declination , diminution , dec , celestial latitude , regrets , disintegration , radioactive decay , decomposition , extraction , pin , stemma , crepuscule , parentage , dip , pedigree , gloam , bloodline , twilight , decline in quality , spill , gloaming , tumble , surrender , worsening , lineage , filiation , autumn , stock , deterioration , evenfall , origin , line , line of descent , downfall , drop , crepuscle , nightfall , dusk , free fall , ancestry , blood , blood line , capitulation , wane , reject , refuse , exasperate , pass up , turn down , aggravate , slump , worsen , go down , correct , exacerbate , freeze off , rule out , deny , resist , winnow out , lower , lour , spurn , pooh-pooh , disapprove , disdain , scorn , defy , turn away , eliminate , come down , set , go under , settle , sink , descend , crash , right , even out , chasten , adjust , slouch , objurgate , discipline , redress , rectify , even up , slide down , counterbalance , chastise , compensate , sort out , even off , fall off , make up , castigate , abate , ebb , mitigate , reduce , lessen , moderate , subside , diminish , change state , turn

Antonyms

extend , magnify , revive , develop , rage , amplify , enlarge , increase , raise , continue , melioration , improvement , aggravate , enhance , foment

Rhymes

adeline , aerodyne , affine , airline , alamein , align , aline , alkaline , alpine , arline , arlyne , asinine , assign , australopithecine , ballantine , barentine , baseline , benign , bloodline , borderline , bornstein , bovine , brandywine , brine , brookline , bryne , burdine , byline , byzantine , calamine , canine , capitoline , carbine , caroline , celandine , chine , clementine , cline , clozapine , clyne , coastline , columbine , combine , concubine , confine , constantine , crine , crystalline , dateline , deadline , define , design , devine , dewine , dhein , dine , disincline , divine , dopamine , dragline , dwine , earthshine , eglantine , ein , emeline , emlynne , emmeline , endocrine , enshrine , entwine , epstein , equine , erskine , evangeline , fein , feinstein , feline , feyen , fine , francyne , frankenstein , genuine , gourdine , grapevine , guideline , guynn , gwine , hainline , hairline , hammerstein , headline , hein , heine , hemline , heterodyne , heyen , hine , hornstein , hot-line , huynh , ice-nine , incline , intertwine , iodine , jacobine , jain , karoline , klein , kline , kyne , leontine , lichtenstein , liechtenstein , lifeline , limine , line , lupine , lyne , lysne , macalpine , mainline , malign , mcalpine , microdyne , midline , mine , missildine , moonshine , nadein , nine , online , opine , outline , outshine , palatine , palestine , pine , pipeline , porcupine , prine , pruyn , pyne , quinine , rankine , realign , reassign , recline , recombine , redefine , redesign , refine , resign , rhine , rhyne , rine , rubinstein , saccharine , schein , schlein , sein , serpentine , sharp-sign , shein , shine , shoeshine , shrine , sideline , sign , silverstein , sine , skyline , spine , spline , stein , stine , storyline , streamline , strine , strychnine , styne , sunshine , superheterodyne , supine , swine , thein , thine , timberline , tine , trine , turpentine , twine , tyne , underline , undermine , valentine , vandine , vanduyn , vanduyne , vine , waistline , wallenstein , whine , wine , wyne , zine