shrink

B2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈʃɹɪŋk/ See IPA manual

Freq #5482

Meanings

1

verb
To become smaller in size or amount.

This garment will shrink if you wash it in hot water.
2

verb
To make something smaller.

The dryer shrank my favourite sweater.
3

verb
To move back or away from something out of fear or dislike.

The child shrank away from the barking dog.
4

noun
An informal word for a psychiatrist or therapist.

My friend has been seeing a shrink for her anxiety.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with shrink

shrink from Prepositional verb B2

to avoid something through reluctance or fear

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to become smaller in size... contract

3 verb · to move back or away from... flinch retreat

4 noun · an informal word for a... head-shrinker

Opposites

enlarge expand grow stretch

Word family

Forms shrankshrinkingshrinksshrunkshrunkenunshrinking

Derived forms antishrinkhead-shrinkerheadshrinknonshrinknonshrinkablenonshrinkingovershrinkpreshrinkreshrinkshrink-swellshrink-wrapshrink-wrapped

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

shrink from
to avoid something through reluctance or fear

Verb + preposition/particle

Simplified etymology

Shrink comes from Old English scrincan, a Germanic word related to Swedish skrynka, “to wrinkle.” Its sense of recoiling in fear or disgust arose in the early 16th century. The informal term for a psychiatrist, recorded in 1966, is shortened from headshrinker.

Etymology

From Middle English schrynken, from Old English sċrincan, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Cognate with Dutch schrinken (“to shrink”). The sense “psychologist, psychotherapist” is a clipping of head-shrinker.

*(s)ker- (turn) Proto-Indo-European schrynken Middle English sċrincan Old English *skrinkwaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Register & Style

External links

# shrink

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈʃɹɪŋk/
**Frequency rank:** 5482

## Meanings
1. To become smaller in size or amount.
2. To make something smaller.
3. To move back or away from something out of fear or dislike.
4. An informal word for a psychiatrist or therapist.

## Examples
- This garment will shrink if you wash it in hot water.
- The dryer shrank my favourite sweater.
- The child shrank away from the barking dog.
- My friend has been seeing a shrink for her anxiety.

## Antonyms
- enlarge
- expand
- grow
- stretch

## Derived Forms
- antishrink
- head-shrinker
- headshrink
- nonshrink
- nonshrinkable
- nonshrinking
- overshrink
- preshrink
- reshrink
- shrink-swell
- shrink-wrap
- shrink-wrapped

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *(s)ker- (turn)
- Root: schrynken
- Root: sċrincan
- Root: *skrinkwaną

## Etymology
From Middle English schrynken, from Old English sċrincan, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Cognate with Dutch schrinken (“to shrink”). The sense “psychologist, psychotherapist” is a clipping of head-shrinker.

## AI Etymology
Shrink is from Middle English schrynken, from Old English sċrincan, from Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. Cognate with Dutch schrinken (“to shrink”). The sense “psychologist, psychotherapist” is a clipping of head-shrinker. Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (turn), Middle English schrynken, Old English sċrincan, Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną. In current use it includes senses such as To become smaller in size or amount and To make something smaller.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Register & Style

markdown