| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | decline, fall off |
| Synonyms: | abate, deteriorate, die, droop, ebb, fade, fail, faint, languish, peter out, pine, sag, sink, slump, succumb, taper off, wane, weaken, weary, wilt |
| Antonyms: | do well, increase, rise, strengthen |
| Main Entry: | accost |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | approach for conversation or solicitation |
| Synonyms: | address, annoy, bother, brace*, buttonhole, call, challenge, confront, cross, dare, entice, face, flag, greet, hail, proposition, run into, salute, welcome, whistle for |
| Antonyms: | avoid, dodge, evade, ignore, scorn, shun |
| Main Entry: | alert |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | warn |
| Synonyms: | alarm, flag, forewarn, give the high sign, inform, notify, put on guard, signal, tip, tip off, wave flag |
| Main Entry: | caution |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | warn, advise |
| Synonyms: | admonish, alert, exhort, flag, forewarn, give the high sign, give the lowdown on, pull one's coat, put one wise, tip off, tip*, urge, wave a red flag, wise one up |
| Main Entry: | collapse |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fall apart, break down |
| Synonyms: | belly up, bend, break, cave in, conk out, crack up, crumple, deflate, disintegrate, droop, drop, exhaust, fail, faint, fall down, flag, flake out, fold, founder, give, give in, give out, give way, go to pieces, go*, keel over, languish, shatter, subside, succumb, tire, topple, weaken, weary, wilt, yield |
| Antonyms: | build, increase, rise |
| Main Entry: | decline |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | lessen, become less |
| Synonyms: | abate, backslide, cheapen, decay, decrease, degenerate, depreciate, deteriorate, diminish, disimprove, disintegrate, droop, drop, dwindle, ebb, fade, fail, fall, fall off, flag, go downhill, go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, languish, lapse, lose value, lower, pine, recede, relapse, retrograde, return, revert, rot, sag, settle, shrink, sink, slide, subside, wane, weaken, worsen |
| Notes: | one declines (or accepts) something that is offered; one refuses (or agrees) to accept something offered |
| Antonyms: | improve, increase, rise |
| Main Entry: | deteriorate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | decay, degenerate |
| Synonyms: | adulterate, alloy, be worse for wear, become worse, break, corrode, corrupt, crumble, debase, debilitate, decline, decompose, degrade, deprave, depreciate, descend, disimprove, disintegrate, ebb, fade, fail, fall apart, flag, go downhill, go to pieces, go to pot, go to the dogs, hit the skids, impair, injure, languish, lapse, lessen, lose it, lose quality, lower, mar, pervert, regress, retrograde, retrogress, rot, sink, skid, slide, spoil, undermine, vitiate, weaken, wear away, worsen |
| Notes: | to degenerate means 'to decline in value, move lower on a scale' but to deteriorate means 'to worsen, to become lowered, or be reduced in value'; degenerate pertains more to character and virtue while deteriorate is more about loss of strength or vitality |
| Antonyms: | build, construct, develop, get better, improve |
| Main Entry: | droop |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | hang down; languish |
| Synonyms: | bend, dangle, decline, depress, diminish, drop, fade, fail, faint, fall down, flag, lean, let down, loll, lop, sag, settle, sink, sling, slouch, slump, subside, suspend, weaken, wilt, wither |
| Antonyms: | inflate, rise |
| Main Entry: | ebb |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | subside; decline |
| Synonyms: | abate, decay, decrease, degenerate, deteriorate, die down, die out, diminish, drop, dwindle, ease off, fade away, fall, fall away, fall back, flag, flow back, go out, languish, lessen, let up, melt, moderate, peter out, recede, relent, retire, retreat, retrocede, shrink, sink, slacken, wane, weaken, withdraw |
| Antonyms: | flow, increase, rise |