decrease

decrease 表示数量、程度等变小，也可指这种减少的幅度；在编织语境中还可指减少针数。

💡 记忆钩子

想象一条水位线不断往下：水量自己变少，是“减少”；有人拧低阀门让水量变少，是“使减少”；编织时把针数往下收，也就是“减少针数”。

📝 学习建议

先掌握“变少”和“使……变少”这组动词用法，再学习表示减少幅度的名词用法。
不要只把 decrease 机械地理解成“下降”；它也能表示数量、程度或规模的减少，具体含义要看主语和搭配。

📖 中文释义

noun

core 减少量；下降幅度

📖 它不是“变少”这个动作本身，而是水位线往下后所呈现出的减少幅度或减少量，可以用于销售额、人口、温度等数量或程度。

💡 常用句型是“a decrease in + 名词”或“a decrease of + 数值”，例如表示某项数量减少了多少。它既可指一次具体的减少，也可泛指减少这一现象；不要在这里把 decrease 当作动词直接带宾语。

countable uncountable

The company reported a slight decrease in sales last year.

公司报告称，去年销售额略有下降。

There has been a sharp decrease in the number of visitors.

游客人数出现了大幅减少。
rare 编织中的减针

📖 在编织中，它指通过并针等做法让正在编织的针数变少，从而改变织物的形状。

💡 通常出现在编织说明中，常与表示针数或操作步骤的词连用。这里说的是一种具体的编织操作，不是一般商业或日常语境中的数量下降；初学者可先把它和普通的“减少量”区分开。

countable uncountable

decreases plural

verb

core 变少；降低

📖 水位线自己往下就是这种用法：某个数量、程度或水平从较高状态变得更小，不强调是谁造成的。

💡 常用句型是“数量或程度 + decrease”，后面可接表示时间或幅度的成分。它是不及物用法，不能直接在后面放被减少的对象；若要表达“使……变少”，应使用另一个及物用法。

intransitive

The quality of the products has decreased since the main designer left.

首席设计师离开后，这些产品的质量下降了。

The temperature will decrease overnight.

气温将在夜间下降。
core 使变少；减少

📖 有人拧低阀门让水位线下降，就是让某个数量、程度或水平变小；重点在于主语主动造成了减少。

💡 常用句型是“decrease + 宾语”，也可在后面补充表示幅度或程度的成分。它是及物用法，宾语通常是数量、音量、成本等可调整的对象；不要把表示自行变少的主语也硬接在它后面。

transitive

Please decrease the volume so we can hear each other.

请把音量调小一点，这样我们才能听见彼此说话。

decreases present,singular,third-person decreasing participle,present decreased participle,past decreased past

📘 英文释义 (WordNet) 共 6 组

decrease in size, extent, or range; ; ;

同义词集: decrease diminish lessen fall

The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester

The cabin pressure fell dramatically

her weight fell to under a hundred pounds

his voice fell to a whisper

反义: increase 下位: abate, boil down, break, concentrate, contract, de-escalate, decelerate, decline, decoct, die away, ease off, ease up, flag, fly, go down, let up, reduce, remit, retard, shorten, shrink, shrivel, shrivel up, slack, slack off, slacken off, slow, slow down, slow up, taper, vanish, vaporize, wane, weaken, wither

the act of decreasing or reducing something

同义词集: decrease diminution reduction step-down

反义: increase, step-up 下位: alleviation, amortisation, amortization, contraction, cut, de-escalation, deduction, deflation, depletion, depreciation, devaluation, discount, easement, easing, extenuation, lowering, mitigation, moderation, palliation, price reduction, relief, shelter, shortening, shrinking, subtraction, tax shelter, weakening

make smaller

同义词集: decrease lessen minify

He decreased his staff

反义: increase 上位: alter, change, modify 下位: abate, abbreviate, abridge, belittle, boil down, bring down, circumscribe, concentrate, confine to, contract, cut, cut back, cut down, de-escalate, diminish, foreshorten, limit, lour, lower, minimise, minimize, mitigate, pare, pare down, reduce, relax, shorten, shrink, slack, slack up, slacken, slake, step down, suppress, trim, trim back, trim down, turn down, weaken

the amount by which something decreases

同义词集: decrease decrement

反义: increase, increment 上位: amount 下位: dip, drop, fall, free fall, shrinkage

a change downward;

同义词集: decrease lessening drop-off

there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided

there was a sharp drop-off in sales

反义: increase 上位: alteration, change, modification 下位: attrition, casualty, dwindling, dwindling away, shrinkage, shrinking, sinking, waning

a process of becoming smaller or shorter

同义词集: decrease decrement

反义: growth, increase, increment 上位: physical process, process 下位: decay, decline, diminution, narrowing

🌳 词源

源自中古英语，最终来自拉丁语 decrescere，含有“逐渐变小、减少”的意思。

From Middle English decresen, alteration of discresen, from Anglo-Norman, Old French descreistre (French: décroître), from Latin decrescere.

🔄 变式

decreased past decreases plural decreasing present

🏷 单词标签 & 词根