SHRINK (shrank, shrunk, shrunken)

Pronunciation (US):

• SHRINK (noun)
  The noun SHRINK has 1 sense:

1. a physician who specializes in psychiatry

  Familiarity information: SHRINK used as a noun is very rare.

• SHRINK (verb)
  The verb SHRINK has 5 senses:

1. wither, as with a loss of moisture
2. draw back, as with fear or pain
3. reduce in size; reduce physically
4. become smaller or draw together
5. decrease in size, range, or extent

  Familiarity information: SHRINK used as a verb is common.

• SHRINK (noun)

Meaning:

A physician who specializes in psychiatry

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

head-shrinker; psychiatrist; shrink

Hypernyms ("shrink" is a kind of...):

medical specialist; specialist (practices one branch of medicine)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shrink"):

alienist (a psychiatrist and specialist in the legal aspects of mental illness)

analyst; psychoanalyst (a licensed practitioner of psychoanalysis)

Instance hyponyms:

Harry Stack Sullivan; Sullivan (United States psychiatrist (1892-1949))

Menninger; William Claire Menninger; William Menninger (United States psychiatrist and son of Charles Menninger (1899-1966))

Karl Augustus Menninger; Karl Menninger; Menninger (United States psychiatrist and son of Charles Menninger (1893-1990))

Charles Frederick Menninger; Charles Menninger; Menninger (United States psychiatrist who with his sons founded a famous psychiatric clinic in Topeka (1862-1953))

Jaspers; Karl Jaspers; Karl Theodor Jaspers (German psychiatrist (1883-1969))

Horney; Karen Danielsen Horney; Karen Horney (United States psychiatrist (1885-1952))

• SHRINK (verb)

Meaning:

Wither, as with a loss of moisture

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

wither; shrivel up; shrivel; shrink

Context example:

The fruit dried and shriveled

Hypernyms (to "shrink" is one way to...):

decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shrink"):

atrophy (undergo atrophy)

die back; die down (suffer from a disease that kills shoots)

dry up; mummify (dry up and shrivel due to complete loss of moisture)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Meaning:

Draw back, as with fear or pain

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

recoil; quail; funk; flinch; cringe; wince; shrink; squinch

Context example:

she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf

Hypernyms (to "shrink" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shrink"):

retract; shrink back (pull away from a source of disgust or fear)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Meaning:

Reduce in size; reduce physically

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

shrink; reduce

Context examples:

Hot water will shrink the sweater / Can you shrink this image?

Hypernyms (to "shrink" is one way to...):

decrease; lessen; minify (make smaller)

Cause:

contract; shrink (become smaller or draw together)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shrink"):

contract (make smaller)

depopulate; desolate (reduce in population)

miniaturise; miniaturize (design or construct on a smaller scale)

reef (reduce (a sail) by taking in a reef)

reduce; scale down (make smaller)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Meaning:

Become smaller or draw together

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

shrink; contract

Context examples:

The fabric shrank / The balloon shrank

Hypernyms (to "shrink" is one way to...):

decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "shrink"):

flex (contract)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

These fabrics shrink easily

Antonym:

stretch (become longer by being stretched and pulled)

Meaning:

Decrease in size, range, or extent

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

shrivel; shrink

Context examples:

His earnings shrank / My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me

Hypernyms (to "shrink" is one way to...):

decrease; diminish; fall; lessen (decrease in size, extent, or range)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

Their earnings shrink this year