1. the process of reducing something; the amount that something is reduced by synonym reduction
   • Sales for May show a decrease compared with the same month last year.
   • decrease in something There has been some decrease in military spending this year.
   • a decrease in the number/level/rate of something
   • There has been a dramatic decrease in activity among our kids.
   • decrease of something (in something) There has been a decrease of nearly 6 per cent in the number of visitors to the museum.
   • decrease (from something) (to something) a decrease from 62% to just under half
   • on the decrease Marriage is still on the decrease (= decreasing).
   opposite increase

   Extra Examples

   • Half the companies in the survey reported a decrease in sales.
   • It is not uncommon to experience a decrease in confidence after a divorce.
   • The new treatment led to a huge decrease in the number of deaths.
   • There has been a sharp decrease in pollution since the law was introduced.
   • This year's figures show a decrease of 30 per cent on last year.
   Topics Change, cause and effectb2, Moneyb2

   Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

   • dramatic
   • drastic
   • great
   • …
   verb + decrease
   • demonstrate
   • display
   • exhibit
   • …
   preposition
   • on the decrease
   • decrease from… to…
   • decrease in
   • …
   See full entry

   Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French decreis (noun), decreistre (verb), based on Latin decrescere, from de- ‘down’ + crescere ‘grow’.

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See decrease in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee decrease in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

noun

From the Topic

C2

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