verb
shrink
SHRIHNGK
verb
1
To become or make smaller.
"The wool sweater shrank in the wash."
"Rising costs have shrunk the company's profit margins."
2
To draw back or flinch, especially from fear or discomfort.
"She shrank from his angry stare."
noun
1
A psychiatrist or psychotherapist (informal).
"He's been seeing a shrink twice a week since the accident."
How to Use Shrink
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo get smaller, to flinch away from something, or, informally, a therapist.
When to use it
"Shrink" for a therapist is casual slang, not appropriate in formal or clinical writing.
Common pairings
shrink in the wash
shrink from responsibility
see a shrink
Word Forms
shrank past tense, shrunk past tense, shrunken past tense, shrinks plural, shrinks singular
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Etymology
From Old English scrincan ("to shrink, wither"); the "psychiatrist" sense is a shortening of "headshrinker."