Please pay close attention to those "decrease" words and read the article naturally but not too fast. Thank you.
Thesaurus Article: TO DECREASE
By Colin McIntosh, Cambridge English Thesaurus
These words are used to describe when something becomes smaller, less, or is brought to a lower level.
The most common word for this is decrease /dɪˈkriːs/.
The tests show that the tumour has decreased in size since we started treatment.
Her influence on him keeps decreasing as time goes on.
Costs have decreased dramatically in the last six months.
The verbs lessen /ˈlesn/, lower /ˈləʊər/, and reduce /rɪˈduːs/, and the phrasal verb bring down /brɪŋ daʊn/ are often used when someone decreases an amount or level.
A healthy diet lessens your risk for cardiovascular /ˌkɑːrdiəʊˈvæskjələr/ disease.
They’ve just lowered the age at which you can join.
They’ve just reduced the price.
They are bringing down their prices.
Drop /drɑːp/, fall /fɔːl/, go down /ɡəʊ daʊn/, and come down /kʌm daʊn/ are often used when a level or amount decreases.
Stock prices dropped today after the company’s announcement.
Unemployment has fallen to six percent in the last year.
Prices always go down in January.
Has her fever come down at all?
If a level or amount decreases very quickly, plummet /ˈplʌmɪt/ and plunge /plʌndʒ/ are sometimes used.
Temperatures last night plummeted.
Temperatures last night plunged below zero.
If a level or amount decreases gradually, the verbs dwindle /ˈdwɪndl/ and decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ are sometimes used.
The number of students in the school has dwindled to around 200.
The number of members has declined by 25 per cent over the last 30 years.
If the size of something decreases, shrink /ʃrɪŋk/ can be used. The verb contract /kənˈtrækt/ is used in technical contexts.
Forests have shrunk to almost half the size they were 20 years ago.
As the metal cools, it contracts.
The opposite of decrease is increase /ɪnˈkriːs/.
I’ve been increasing my workouts by five minutes a day.
Prices keep increasing across the board.
For more opposites of decrease, see the article at increase.
