·vt To cause to decrease or diminish.
II. Decline ·vt To run through from first to last; to repeat like a schoolboy declining a noun.
III. Decline ·vt To bend downward; to bring down; to
Depress; to cause to bend, or fall.
IV. Decline ·vi That period of a disorder or paroxysm when the symptoms begin to abate in violence; as, the decline of a fever.
V. Decline ·vt To inflect, or rehearse in order the changes of grammatical form of; as, to
decline a noun or an
Adjective.
VI. Decline ·vi A gradual sinking and wasting away of the physical faculties; any wasting disease, ·esp. pulmonary consumption; as, to die of a decline.
VII. Decline ·vi To turn away; to
Shun; to
Refuse;
- the opposite of accept or consent; as, he declined, upon principle.
VIII. Decline ·vi To bend, or lean downward; to take a downward direction; to bend over or hang down, as from weakness, weariness, despondency,
·etc.; to
Condescend.
IX. Decline ·vi To turn or bend aside; to
Deviate; to
Stray; to
Withdraw; as, a line that declines from straightness; conduct that declines from sound morals.
X. Decline ·vt To put or turn aside; to turn off or away from; to refuse to undertake or comply with; reject; to
Shun; to
Avoid; as, to
decline an offer; to
decline a contest; he declined any participation with them.
XI. Decline ·vi A falling off; a tendency to a worse state; diminution or decay; deterioration; also, the period when a thing is tending toward extinction or a less perfect state; as, the decline of life; the decline of strength; the decline of virtue and religion.
XII. Decline ·vi To tend or draw towards a close, decay, or extinction; to tend to a less perfect state; to become diminished or impaired; to
Fail; to
Sink; to
Diminish; to
Lessen; as, the day declines; virtue declines; religion declines; business declines.