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de|cline ◆◆◇ /d I kla I n/ (declines , declining , declined )

1 VERB If something declines , it becomes less in quantity, importance, or strength. □ [V + from ] The number of staff has declined from 217,000 to 114,000. □ [V amount] Hourly output by workers declined 1.3% in the first quarter. □ [V ] Union membership and union power are declining fast. □ [V -ing] …a declining birth rate. [Also V + to/by ]

2 VERB If you decline something or decline to do something, you politely refuse to accept it or do it. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] He declined their invitation. □ [V to-inf] The band declined to comment on the story. □ [V ] He offered the boys some coffee. They declined politely.

3 N‑VAR If there is a decline in something, it becomes less in quantity, importance, or quality. □ [+ in ] There wasn't such a big decline in enrollments after all. □  The first signs of economic decline became visible.

4 PHRASE If something is in decline or on the decline , it is gradually decreasing in importance, quality, or power. □  Thankfully the smoking of cigarettes is on the decline.

5 PHRASE If something goes or falls into decline , it begins to gradually decrease in importance, quality, or power. □  Libraries are an investment for the future and they should not be allowed to fall into decline. SYNONYMS decline VERB

1

fall:Output will fall by 6%.

drop:Temperatures can drop to freezing at night.

sink:Pay increases have sunk to around seven per cent.

decrease:Population growth is decreasing by 1.4% each year.

lessen:He is used to a lot of attention from his wife, which will inevitably lessen when the baby is born.

dwindle:Exports are dwindling and the trade deficit is swelling.

2

refuse:He offered me a second drink which I refused.

reject:Seventeen publishers rejected the manuscript before Jenks saw its potential.

turn down:I thanked him for the offer but turned it down. NOUN 3

fall:There was a sharp fall in the value of the pound.

drop:The poll indicates a drop in support for the Conservatives.

decrease:Bank base rates have fallen from 10 per cent to 6 per cent–a decrease of 40 per cent.

deterioration:…the slow steady deterioration of a patient with Alzheimer's disease.

worsening:This latest incident is bound to lead to a further worsening of relations between the two countries.

downturn:They predicted a severe economic downturn. COLLOCATIONS decline NOUN 3

adjective + decline : precipitous, rapid, sharp, steep; gradual, steady; irreversible, terminal

verb + decline : halt; reverse; offset VERB

1

decline+ adverb : precipitously, rapidly, sharply, steeply; steadily

2

decline+ noun : invitation, offer, request

de|code /diː koʊ d/ (decodes , decoding , decoded )

1 VERB If you decode a message that has been written or spoken in a code, you change it into ordinary language. □ [V n] All he had to do was decode it and pass it over.

2 VERB A device that decodes a broadcast signal changes it into a form that can be displayed on a television screen. □ [V n] About 60,000 subscribers have special adapters to receive and decode the signals.