[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

decrease \decrease"\, v. i. imp.  p. p. decreased; p. pr. 
   vb. n. decreasing. oe. decrecen, fr. of. decreistre, f.
   d'ecro^itre, or from the of. noun see decrease, n.,
   fr. l. decrescere to grow less; de + crescere to grow. see
   crescent, and cf. increase.
   to grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished
   gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc., or in
   strength, quality, or excellence; as, they days decrease in
   length from june to december.
   1913 webster

         he must increase, but i must decrease.   --john iii.
                                                  30.

   syn: to decrease, diminish.

   usage: things usually decrease or fall off by degrees, and
          from within, or through some cause which is
          imperceptible; as, the flood decreases; the cold
          decreases; their affection has decreased. things
          commonly diminish by an influence from without, or one
          which is apparent; as, the army was diminished by
          disease; his property is diminishing through
          extravagance; their affection has diminished since
          their separation their separation. the turn of
          thought, however, is often such that these words may
          be interchanged.
          1913 webster

                the olive leaf, which certainly them told
                the flood decreased.              --drayton.
          1913 webster

                crete's ample fields diminish to our eye;
                before the boreal blasts the vessels fly.
                                                  --pope.
          1913 webster
see also:
decreased decreasing decrease crescent increase diminish 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

decrease \decrease"\, v. t.
   to cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as,
   extravagance decreases one's means.
   1913 webster

         that might decrease their present store. --prior.
   1913 webster

[3] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

decrease \decrease"\, n. oe. decrees, of. decreis, fr.
   decreistre. see decrease, v.
   1. a becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease
      of revenue or of strength.
      1913 webster

   2. the wane of the moon. --bacon.
      1913 webster
see also:
decrease 

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

decrease
     n 1: a change downward; "there was a decrease in his temperature
          as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in
          sales" syn: lessening, drop-off ant: increase
     2: a process of becoming smaller or shorter syn: decrement
        ant: increase, increase
     3: the amount by which something decreases syn: decrement
        ant: increase
     4: the act of decreasing or reducing something syn: diminution,
         reduction, step-down ant: increase
     v 1: decrease in size, extent, or range; "the amount of homework
          decreased towards the end of the semester"; "the cabin
          pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fall to under a
          hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper" syn: diminish,
           lessen, fall ant: increase
     2: make smaller; "he decreased his staff" syn: lessen, minify
        ant: increase
see also:
lessening drop-off increase decrement diminution reduction 
step-down diminish lessen fall minify 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

232 moby thesaurus words for "decrease":
   abate, abatement, abbreviate, abbreviation, ablate, ablation,
   abrade, abridge, abstract, allay, alleviate, apportion, astriction,
   astringency, attrition, bate, be eaten away, bottleneck, calibrate,
   calibrated, cervix, circumscribe, circumscription, clip, close,
   coarct, coarctation, compact, compactedness, compaction, compress,
   compression, compressure, concentrate, concentration, condensation,
   condense, consolidate, consolidation, constrict, constriction,
   constringe, constringency, consume, consume away, consumption,
   contract, contraction, contracture, corrode, count, cramp, crumble,
   curtail, curtailment, cut, cut back, cut down, cutting, damp,
   dampen, de-escalate, de-escalation, decline, decrement, deduct,
   deflate, deliquesce, deplete, depletion, depreciate, depreciation,
   depress, derogate, derogation, detract, detraction, die away,
   differentiate, diminish, diminuendo, diminution, dip, disparage,
   disparagement, dissipate, dissipation, dive, divide, downgrade,
   drain, draw, draw in, draw together, dribble away, drop, drop off,
   dwindle, dwindling, ease, ease off, ease up, eat away, ebb, erode,
   erosion, evaporation, exhaustion, expenditure, extract, extraction,
   fall, fall away, fall off, falling off, file away, fix,
   gradational, grade, gradual, graduate, graduated, hierarchic,
   hourglass, hourglass figure, impair, impairment, impoverishment,
   increase, isthmus, knit, knitting, languish, leach, leakage,
   lessen, lessening, let up, lighten, lower, lowering, measure,
   melt away, mitigate, narrow, narrow place, narrowing, neck, number,
   parcel, pare, peter out, plummet, plunge, progressive, pucker,
   pucker up, puckering, purify, purse, pursing, quantify, quantize,
   rate, rebate, recede, reduce, reduction, refine, regular,
   remission, remove, retraction, retrench, retrenchment, roll back,
   rub away, run low, sag, scalar, scale down, shade off, shorten,
   shortening, shrink, shrinkage, shrinking, shrivel up, simplify,
   sink, slacken, slackening, solidification, solidify, squander,
   step down, strangle, stranglement, strangulate, strangulation,
   striction, stricture, subduct, subside, subsidence, subtract,
   systole, tail off, take away, take from, taper, taper off, thin,
   thin out, trim, truncation, tune down, using, using up, wane,
   wasp waist, wastage, waste, waste away, wear, wear away, wearing,
   wearing away, weed, withdraw, wrinkle, wrinkling

Decrease >> D Words
Decrease, definition of term: Decrease
decrease_pag1.html

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CNW Telbec
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http://www.cnw.ca/fr/releases/archive/March2005/16/c5688.html, score=52, date indexed=November 21, 2005, 9:03 pm

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CNW Group
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http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2005/16/c5688.html, score=50, date indexed=December 20, 2005, 5:46 pm

decrease-gum-halitosis-xylitol
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Student Loan Default Rates Decrease
...The decrease in national and state default rates occurred during a ... Student Loan Default Rates Decrease. 9/19/2003. ST. PAUL Student loan ... ..
http://www.mheso.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=1333, score=49, date indexed=December 30, 2005, 2:45 am

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