Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The process of shrinking.
- n. The amount or proportion by which something shrinks.
- n. A reduction in value; depreciation.
- n. The total weight loss sustained by livestock in shipment to a market.
- n. Loss of merchandise, especially through theft.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The contraction of a material to a smaller surface or bulk, whether by cooling after being heated, as a metal, or by drying, as timber or clay, or by wetting, as cord or fabrics.
- n. Figuratively, a similar reduction of any kind, as loss of weight; especially, loss of value: as, shrinkage in real estate.
- n. Amount of diminution of surface or bulk, weight or value: as, the shrinkage of cast-iron by cooling is one eighth of an inch to a foot; the shrinkage on the goods was 10 per cent.
- n. In gunnery, the difference between the outside diameter of the inner cylinder and the inside diameter of the outer cylinder of a built-up gun. The quantity by which the former exceeds the latter is often called the absolute shrinkage, and is expressed in the decimal parts of an inch. Relative shrinkage is the ratio obtained by dividing the absolute shrinkage by the interior diameter of the outer cylinder. It is expressed in thousandths and decimal parts of thousandths of an inch, and represents the absolute shrinkage per linear inch of the diameter of the outer cylinder. The theoretical shrinkage for a particular gun is that deduced by mathematical computation from known and assumed conditions and dimensions. The actual shrinkage is that actually obtained in practice, and varies from the theoretical shrinkage on account of the imperfections of manufacture.
Wiktionary
- n. The act of shrinking, or the proportion by which something shrinks.
- n. The loss of merchandise through theft.
- n. slang The reduction in size of the male genitalia following immersion in cold water
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The act of shrinking; a contraction into less bulk or measurement.
- n. The amount of such contraction; the bulk or dimension lost by shrinking, as of grain, castings, etc.
- n. colloq. Decrease in value; depreciation.
WordNet 3.0
- n. process or result of becoming less or smaller
- n. the act of stealing goods that are on display in a store
- n. the amount by which something shrinks
Examples
“With the lake less 16 feet at its deepest, or about half its depth when the decline began in 1977, the shrinkage is affecting the local economy.”
“With the lake now less 16 feet at its deepest, or about half its depth when the decline began in 1977, the shrinkage is affecting the local economy.”
“Here are NASA images of the polar ice cap in 1979 and 2003: The massive shrinkage is obvious.”
“Ghost, you said it, ground shrinkage is particularly bad with this 'species.”
“Be sure to get 500 mcg B12, 800 mcg folic acid, 20 mg B6 a day -- doses found to reduce brain shrinkage up to 50 percent in people with mild memory problems.”
The Huffington Post: Jean Carper: In Honor of World Alzheimer's Day, Take a Hike Today
“Best be careful: a study at Oxford University has revealed that people on a meat-free diet are six times more likely to suffer brain shrinkage as they age because of a lack of Vitamin B12, which is most easily obtained by eating meat.”
“WASHINGTON — Democrats' Senate majority faces a midterm shrinkage Tuesday, a further complication for President Barack Obama's agenda, even if Republicans fall short of seizing control of the 100-member chamber.”
The Huffington Post: Will The GOP Win Control Of The Senate In The Midterm Elections?
“For older Americans, reversal of the brain shrinkage that occurs as people age is just one benefit of greater physical activity, according to research published in the latest issue of the Journal of Gerontology -- Medical Sciences (Vol. 61A, No. 11).”
“Via WorldChanging comes this fascinating interview with Amory Lovins in which he points out that by increasing our energy efficiency over the last 25 year the amount of energy used per GDP has shrank by 40%, and that shrinkage is our biggest source of energy!”
“The long-term shrinkage in the average cotton sheet will be about 5 percent, which works out to about five inches in a 108-inch sheet.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘shrinkage’.
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Words that shouldn't be used on a fir...
probation, trekkie, wart, unemployed, fetish, suspended driver'..., felon, aerophagia, undies, debt collector, girlfriend, boyfriend and 272 more...
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PECH - fishing technology
anchor, berth, drop anchor, anchored floating..., artificial restoc..., bait, beam trawls, bottom gillnets, entangling nets, bottom nets, bottom-set nets, bottom pair trawl and 478 more...
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The -ages of Man(-age)
Trivet also has this list, which you should go see. And then I found this list, and this list...
manage, salvage, selvadge, savage, voyage, umbrage, entourage, homage, carriage, marriage, language, potage and 123 more...
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Thievery
synonymous with steal.
pinch, lift, pilfer, appropriate, bilk, abscond, burgle, usurp, purloin, shoplift, bite, five finger discount and 38 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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Seinfeld
Words created or popularized by Seinfeld.
Festivus, mimbo, shrinkage, Jimmy legs, sponge-worthy, re-gifter, sidler, anti-dentite, yadda yadda yadda, close talker, double dipper, giddyup and 11 more...
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AbraxasZugzwang's Words
atavism, abraxas, sisyphean, frust, fetus-in-fetu, arhythmically, queef, epidemiology, abecedarian, troglodyte, chiaroscuro, philology and 631 more...
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Tickles my humerus
I find these to be inherently funny.
cow tipping, bumblebee, homoscedasticity, seattle, wagga wagga, booby, pants, guacamole, poodle, fanny pack, nincompoop, svenborgia and 161 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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Conversations for the Ages
A list of words that have fascinating conversations on them. Or just, you know, really funny ones. If I missed any, I hope someone will let me know...
Also see a few other Wordizens' l...misuse, slough of despond, drinking problem, sausage fest, vergerhade, baromets, todal, googlewhack, quetzalcoatl, cheesewa, cheesois, absinthe and 187 more...
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me + student loans =
You know that feeling when you open your wallet and all you can find inside are ATM receipts?
When being a squatter is the least of your worries and that thing called dignity is shove...destitution, beggary, impecuniosity, indigence, mendicancy, poor, impoverishment, pauperism, pennilessness, penuriousness, penury, poverty and 168 more...
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Sitcom Words
shrinkage, feel-goodery, analrapist, mansierre, bro, goretex, gangee, antidentite, mulligatawny
Tweets
Looking for tweets for shrinkage.

john “To do so while protecting the items, they decided to seal the hinges of containers with tough epoxy that would resist shoplifting, or what retailers call ‘shrinkage.’�?
The New York Times, Latest Marvel: Packages That Open Without a Saw, by Brad Stone and Matt Richtel, November 14, 2008
Nov 15, 2008
Prolagus I forgot to add a Haha response on this page. Sep 15, 2008
skipvia I prefer Cialis Cooper. Sep 15, 2008
reesetee Ow. Ow ow ow. Sep 15, 2008
bilby Skipviagra. Sep 15, 2008
skipvia More like the frozen carcass of the Jolly Green Giant after a tragic boating mishap, perhaps?... Sep 14, 2008
chained_bear Mmm... luncheon meats... Sep 14, 2008
reesetee Hmm. Why does that remind me of a bunch of priapic elves doing the backstroke? Sep 14, 2008
skipvia It's not always so.
Who says we don't have any fun up here in the Arctic in winter? Sep 14, 2008
johnmperry Usually (?) means the amount by which stock depletes that cannot be accounted for. I.e. it's not broken, but stolen, often by the staff! Jun 17, 2008
reesetee Love that scene! Mar 1, 2007
abraxaszugzwang "I was in the pool!" Mar 1, 2007