English words for 'The process of becoming narrow.'
Closest matches for "The process of becoming narrow." are ranked by semantic fit across dictionary definitions.
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adj
noun
verb
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- compress or concentrate
- cause to be smaller
- be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
- squeeze or press together
- engage by written agreement
- reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
- enter into a contractual arrangement
- become smaller or draw together
- (transitive) To enter into a contract with (someone or something).
- To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
- (intransitive) To make an agreement or contract; to covenant.
- (transitive) To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
- (grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
- (transitive) To gain or acquire (an illness).
- (ambitransitive) To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
- To betroth; to affiance.
noun
- a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
- (contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
- a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks they bid
- (informal) An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
- (bridge) The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.
- (law) The document containing such an agreement.
- (law) An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
- (law) A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
- An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
verb
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- (intransitive) To get narrower.
- define clearly
- become tight or as if tight
- become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
- (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
- (of a person or eyes) To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
- (knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- (transitive) To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
adj
- lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
- not wide
- very limited in degree
- characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
- limited in extent or scope
- Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- (figuratively) Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
- Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- Having a small margin or degree.
- (phonetics) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.
- Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
- Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted
- (computing) Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
noun
noun
- a process of becoming smaller or shorter
- the amount by which something decreases
- the act of decreasing or reducing something
- a change downward
- An amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased.
- (knitting, crochet) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See Decrease (knitting).
verb
verb
adj
- Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
- Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
- Humiliated or insignificant.
- (figuratively, not comparable) Young, as a child.
- (especially clothing, food or drink) That is small (the manufactured size).
- Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”).
- (writing, not comparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
- Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
- Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
- (of a voice) faint
- limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
- (of children and animals) young, immature
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- not large but sufficient in size or amount
- lowercase
- low or inferior in station or quality
- slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope
- have fine or very small constituent particles
- made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth)
adv
noun
- (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
- (countable, rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
- (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
- (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.
- the slender part of the back
- a garment size for a small person
verb
verb
noun
- the narrow part of a bottle near the top
- a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel
- (figurative) In traffic, any narrowing of the road, especially resulting in a delay.
- The narrow portion that forms the pouring spout of a bottle; the neck of a bottle.
- (by extension) The part of a process that is too slow or cumbersome.
- (music) A portion of a bottleneck placed on the finger and used as a guitar slide.
noun
- (uncountable) The state of being narrow.
- (countable) A constriction; a narrow passage or place; an instance or aspect of being narrow, or having a limited scope or extent.
- a small margin
- the property of being narrow; having little width
- an inclination to criticize opposing opinions or shocking behavior
- a restriction of range or scope
prefix
noun
- The act of shrinking, or the proportion by which something shrinks.
- process or result of becoming less or smaller
- (slang) The reduction in size of the male genitalia when cold, such as from immersion in cold water.
- The loss of merchandise through theft, spoilage, and obsolescence: the shrinking of inventory.
- the act of stealing goods that are on display in a store
- the amount by which something shrinks
verb
- (intransitive) To become (much) smaller.
- To hinder from growing to the natural size; to make or keep small; to stunt.
- (transitive) To make appear (much) smaller, puny, tiny; to be much larger than.
- (transitive) To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).
- (transitive) To make appear insignificant.
- make appear small by comparison
- check the growth of
adj
noun
- (mythology) Any member of a race of beings from (especially Scandinavian and other Germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often as short with long beards, and sometimes as clashing with elves.
- (astronomy) A dwarf star.
- An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.
- (now sometimes offensive) A person of short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with typical adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.
- a plant or animal that is atypically small
- a person who is markedly small
- a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure
noun
adj
verb
verb
- (transitive) To cause to become smaller.
- (intransitive, figuratively) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
- (transitive) To draw back; to withdraw.
- (intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.
- (intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
- (intransitive) To cower or flinch.
- reduce in size; reduce physically
- wither, as with a loss of moisture
- draw back, as with fear or pain
- decrease in size, range, or extent
- become smaller or draw together
noun
verb
- narrow or limit
- to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons
- cook until very little liquid is left
- lessen and make more modest
- be cooked until very little liquid is left
- reduce in size; reduce physically
- lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
- reposition (a broken bone after surgery) back to its normal site
- reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
- be the essential element
- cut down on; make a reduction in
- make smaller
- lower in grade or rank or force somebody into an undignified situation
- make less complex
- simplify the form of a mathematical equation of expression by substituting one term for another
- undergo meiosis
- put down by force or intimidation
- bring to humbler or weaker state or condition
- destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it
- take off weight
- (transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
- (intransitive) To lose weight.
- (transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means.
- (transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square).
- (transitive) To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy).
- (transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
- (transitive) To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.
- (transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
- (transitive, law) To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as "reduce to writing".)
- (transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
- (transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition.
- (transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
- (transitive, military) To strike off the payroll.
- (transitive, phonetics, phonology) To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort.
- (transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
- (transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
- (transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off.
- (transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
adj
- very narrow
- not dense
- (of sound) lacking resonance or volume
- of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
- lacking spirit or sincere effort
- relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous
- lacking substance or significance
- lacking excess flesh
- (aviation) Of a route: relatively little used.
- Scarce; not close, crowded, or numerous; not filling the space.
- (golf) Describing a poorly played golf shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head. See fat, shank, toe.
- Lacking body or volume; small; feeble; not full.
- Of low viscosity or low specific gravity.
- Very narrow in all diameters; having a cross section that is small in all directions.
- Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
- Poor; scanty; without money or success.
- Having little body fat or flesh; slim; slender; lean; gaunt.
- Slight; small; slender; flimsy; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering.
adv
verb
- make thin or thinner
- lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
- lose thickness; become thin or thinner
- take off weight
- To remove some plants or parts of plants in order to improve the growth of what remains.
- To dilute.
- (intransitive) To become thin or thinner.
- (transitive) To make thin or thinner.
noun
noun
verb
noun
- the process of becoming mildewed
- a dish or dessert that is formed in or on a mold
- a distinctive nature, character, or type
- container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
- sculpture produced by molding
- loose soil rich in organic matter
- the distinctive form in which a thing is made
- a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter
- (architecture) A group of moldings.
- A frame or model around or on which something is formed or shaped.
- (anatomy) A fontanelle.
- A fungus that creates such furry growths.
- The shape or pattern of a mold.
- General shape or form.
- A natural substance in the form of a furry or woolly growth of tiny fungi that appears when organic material lies for a long time exposed to (usually warm and moist) air.
- Loose friable soil, rich in humus and fit for planting.
- (UK, dialectal, chiefly plural) Earth, ground.
- Something that is made in or shaped on a mold.
- Distinctive character or type.
- A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance.
- A fixed or restrictive pattern or form.
verb
- form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
- become moldy; spoil due to humidity
- fit tightly, follow the contours of
- shape or influence; give direction to
- form in clay, wax, etc
- make something, usually for a specific function
- (intransitive) To be shaped in or as if in a mold.
- (transitive) To fit closely by following the contours of.
- (transitive) To cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow upon.
- (transitive) To ornament with moldings.
- (transitive) To shape in or on a mold; to form into a particular shape; to give shape to.
- (transitive) To guide or determine the growth or development of; influence
- To cover with mold or soil.
- (intransitive) To become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole or in part, with a mold.
- (transitive) To make a mold of or from (molten metal, for example) before casting.
noun
- the process of becoming mildewed
- a dish or dessert that is formed in or on a mold
- a distinctive nature, character, or type
- container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
- sculpture produced by molding
- loose soil rich in organic matter
- the distinctive form in which a thing is made
- a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“loose soil”).
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“top of the head”).
- Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“growth of tiny fungi”).
verb
- form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
- become moldy; spoil due to humidity
- fit tightly, follow the contours of
- shape or influence; give direction to
- form in clay, wax, etc
- make something, usually for a specific function
- Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“to cause to become mouldy”).
verb
noun
- A wince (machine used in dyeing or steeping cloth).
- (nautical) A hoisting device used for loading or unloading cargo, or for pulling in lines.
- A machine consisting of a drum on an axle, a friction brake or ratchet and pawl, and a crank handle or prime mover (often an electric or hydraulic motor), with or without gearing, to give increased mechanical advantage when hoisting or hauling on a rope or cable.
- A kick, as of an animal, from impatience or uneasiness.
- (Nigeria, slang) A witch.
- lifting device consisting of a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank on which a cable or rope winds
adv
- So as to shrink, recede or move aside, or cause to do so.
- In a manner that impedes.
- To a later point in time. See also put back.
- Towards, into or in the past.
- In a direction opposite to that in which someone or something is facing or normally pointing.
- Away from someone or something; at a distance.
- (not comparable) To or in a previous condition or place.
- (not comparable) In a reciprocal manner; in return.
- (postpositive) Earlier, ago.
- In a direction opposite to the usual or desired direction of movement or progress, physically or figuratively.
- Away from the front or from an edge.
- in or to or toward a former location
- in reply
- at or to or toward the back or rear
- in repayment or retaliation
- in or to or toward a past time
- in or to or toward an original condition
adj
- (comparable, phonetics) Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the back of the mouth, near the soft palate (most often describing a vowel).
- At or near the rear.
- Not current.
- (predicative) Returned or restored to a previous place or condition.
- Situated away from the main or most frequented areas.
- Moving or operating backward.
- In arrears; overdue.
- located at or near the back of an animal
- of an earlier date
- related to or located at the back
noun
- (mining) The roof of a horizontal underground passage.
- (swimming) Clipping of backstroke.
- (slang, uncountable) Effort, usually physical.
- (sports) In some team sports, a position behind most players on the team.
- (figuratively) The upper part of a natural object which is considered to resemble an animal’s back.
- (slang, uncountable) Large and attractive buttocks.
- A support or resource in reserve.
- Area behind, such as the backyard of a house or the rear storeroom of a retail store.
- The reverse side; the side that is not normally seen.
- The side of a blade opposite the side used for cutting.
- Among leather dealers, one of the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.
- A ferryboat.
- The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly.
- The part of something that goes last.
- The backrest, the part of a piece of furniture which receives the human back.
- (nautical) The keel and keelson of a ship.
- (figurative) The part of a piece of clothing which covers the back.
- A non-alcoholic drink (often water or a soft drink), to go with hard liquor or a cocktail.
- The side of any object which is opposite the front or useful side.
- The spine and associated tissues.
- The edge of a book which is bound.
- A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc.
- (printing) The inside margin of a page.
- That which is farthest away from the front.
- (football) a person who plays in the backfield
- the part of a garment that covers the back of your body
- (American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed behind the line of scrimmage
- the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book
- the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
- the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer
- the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
- the side that goes last or is not normally seen
- a support that you can lean against while sitting
verb
- (transitive) To push or force backwards.
- (law, of a justice of the peace) To sign or endorse (a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender).
- (transitive) To support.
- (MLE, transitive) To draw from behind the back (a knife etc.) (as also back out).
- (intransitive) To go in the reverse direction.
- (nautical, of the wind) To change direction contrary to the normal pattern; that is, to shift anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere, or clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
- (UK, of a hunting dog) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed.
- To row backward with (oars).
- (nautical, of a square sail) To brace the yards so that the wind presses on the front of the sail, to slow the ship.
- To make a back for; to furnish with a back.
- To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.
- (nautical, of an anchor) To lay out a second, smaller anchor to provide additional holding power.
- (Nigeria, transitive) To carry an infant on one’s back.
- To write upon the back of, possibly as an endorsement.
- be in back of
- travel backward
- establish as valid or genuine
- place a bet on
- give support or one's approval to
- strengthen by providing with a back or backing
- shift to a counterclockwise direction
- support financial backing for
- be behind; approve of
- cause to travel backward
noun
- The act of dilating.
- State of being dilated; expansion; dilatation.
- (mathematics) In morphology, a basic operation (denoted ⊕) that usually uses a structuring element for probing and expanding the shapes contained in the input image.
- a lengthy discussion (spoken or written) on a particular topic
- the act of expanding an aperture
verb
noun
- the property possessed by a shape that narrows toward a point (as a wedge or cone)
- a convex shape that narrows toward a point
- a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame
- stick of wax with a wick in the middle
- A slender wax candle.
- Someone who works with tape or tapes.
- (by extension) A small light.
- A thin stick used for lighting candles, either a wax-coated wick or a slow-burning wooden rod.
- The portion of an object with such a form.
- A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object.
- (weaving) One who operates a tape machine.
- A cone-shaped item for stretching the hole for an ear gauge (piercing).
- (figurative) Gradual reduction over time.
- (machining) Ellipsis of machine taper.
adj
noun
adj
verb
noun
- The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.
- (mathematics) Reduction to lower terms, as a fraction.
- Any convenient short form used as a substitution for an understood or inferred whole.
- The process of abbreviating.
- (music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.
- (music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.
- (biology) Loss during evolution of the final stages of the ancestral ontogenetic pattern.
- (linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used to represent the whole, using omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.
- shortening something by omitting parts of it
- a shortened form of a word or phrase
noun
- a process of becoming smaller or shorter
- the amount by which something decreases
- the act of decreasing or reducing something
- a change downward
- An amount by which a quantity decreases or is decreased.
- (knitting, crochet) A reduction in the number of stitches, usually accomplished by suspending the stitch to be decreased from another existing stitch or by knitting it together with another stitch. See Decrease (knitting).
verb
noun
- (uncountable) The state of being narrow.
- (countable) A constriction; a narrow passage or place; an instance or aspect of being narrow, or having a limited scope or extent.
- a small margin
- the property of being narrow; having little width
- an inclination to criticize opposing opinions or shocking behavior
- a restriction of range or scope
noun
- The act of shrinking, or the proportion by which something shrinks.
- process or result of becoming less or smaller
- (slang) The reduction in size of the male genitalia when cold, such as from immersion in cold water.
- The loss of merchandise through theft, spoilage, and obsolescence: the shrinking of inventory.
- the act of stealing goods that are on display in a store
- the amount by which something shrinks
noun
adj
verb
noun
verb
noun
- the process of becoming mildewed
- a dish or dessert that is formed in or on a mold
- a distinctive nature, character, or type
- container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
- sculpture produced by molding
- loose soil rich in organic matter
- the distinctive form in which a thing is made
- a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter
- (architecture) A group of moldings.
- A frame or model around or on which something is formed or shaped.
- (anatomy) A fontanelle.
- A fungus that creates such furry growths.
- The shape or pattern of a mold.
- General shape or form.
- A natural substance in the form of a furry or woolly growth of tiny fungi that appears when organic material lies for a long time exposed to (usually warm and moist) air.
- Loose friable soil, rich in humus and fit for planting.
- (UK, dialectal, chiefly plural) Earth, ground.
- Something that is made in or shaped on a mold.
- Distinctive character or type.
- A hollow form or matrix for shaping a fluid or plastic substance.
- A fixed or restrictive pattern or form.
verb
- form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
- become moldy; spoil due to humidity
- fit tightly, follow the contours of
- shape or influence; give direction to
- form in clay, wax, etc
- make something, usually for a specific function
- (intransitive) To be shaped in or as if in a mold.
- (transitive) To fit closely by following the contours of.
- (transitive) To cause to become moldy; to cause mold to grow upon.
- (transitive) To ornament with moldings.
- (transitive) To shape in or on a mold; to form into a particular shape; to give shape to.
- (transitive) To guide or determine the growth or development of; influence
- To cover with mold or soil.
- (intransitive) To become moldy; to be covered or filled, in whole or in part, with a mold.
- (transitive) To make a mold of or from (molten metal, for example) before casting.
noun
- the process of becoming mildewed
- a dish or dessert that is formed in or on a mold
- a distinctive nature, character, or type
- container into which liquid is poured to create a given shape when it hardens
- sculpture produced by molding
- loose soil rich in organic matter
- the distinctive form in which a thing is made
- a fungus that produces a superficial growth on various kinds of damp or decaying organic matter
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“loose soil”).
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“top of the head”).
- Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“growth of tiny fungi”).
verb
- form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a cast or mold
- become moldy; spoil due to humidity
- fit tightly, follow the contours of
- shape or influence; give direction to
- form in clay, wax, etc
- make something, usually for a specific function
- Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.
- Commonwealth spelling of mold (“to cause to become mouldy”).
noun
- The act of dilating.
- State of being dilated; expansion; dilatation.
- (mathematics) In morphology, a basic operation (denoted ⊕) that usually uses a structuring element for probing and expanding the shapes contained in the input image.
- a lengthy discussion (spoken or written) on a particular topic
- the act of expanding an aperture
noun
adj
verb
noun
- The result of shortening or reducing; abridgment.
- (mathematics) Reduction to lower terms, as a fraction.
- Any convenient short form used as a substitution for an understood or inferred whole.
- The process of abbreviating.
- (music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.
- (music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.
- (biology) Loss during evolution of the final stages of the ancestral ontogenetic pattern.
- (linguistics) A shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase used to represent the whole, using omission of letters, and sometimes substitution of letters, or duplication of initial letters to signify plurality, including signs such as +, =, @.
- shortening something by omitting parts of it
- a shortened form of a word or phrase
verb
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- compress or concentrate
- cause to be smaller
- be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness
- squeeze or press together
- engage by written agreement
- reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
- enter into a contractual arrangement
- become smaller or draw together
- (transitive) To enter into a contract with (someone or something).
- To draw together so as to wrinkle; to knit.
- (intransitive) To make an agreement or contract; to covenant.
- (transitive) To bring on; to incur; to acquire.
- (grammar) To shorten by omitting a letter or letters or by reducing two or more vowels or syllables to one.
- (transitive) To gain or acquire (an illness).
- (ambitransitive) To draw together or nearer; to shorten, narrow, or lessen.
- To betroth; to affiance.
noun
- a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
- (contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make
- a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks they bid
- (informal) An order, usually given to a hired assassin, to kill someone.
- (bridge) The declarer's undertaking to win the number of tricks bid with a stated suit as trump.
- (law) The document containing such an agreement.
- (law) An agreement which the law will enforce in some way. A legally binding contract must contain at least one promise, i.e., a commitment or offer, by an offeror to and accepted by an offeree to do something in the future. A contract is thus executory rather than executed.
- (law) A part of legal studies dealing with laws and jurisdiction related to contracts.
- An agreement between two or more parties, to perform a specific job or work order, often temporary or of fixed duration and usually governed by a written agreement.
verb
- make or become more narrow or restricted
- (intransitive) To get narrower.
- define clearly
- become tight or as if tight
- become more focused on an area of activity or field of study
- (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.
- (of a person or eyes) To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.
- (knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
- (transitive) To reduce in width or extent; to contract.
adj
- lacking tolerance or flexibility or breadth of view
- not wide
- very limited in degree
- characterized by painstaking care and detailed examination
- limited in extent or scope
- Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
- (figuratively) Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.
- Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
- Having a small margin or degree.
- (phonetics) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.
- Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
- Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
- Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted
- (computing) Of or supporting only those text characters that can fit into the traditional 8-bit representation.
noun
verb
adj
- Having a small penis, muscles, or other important body parts, regardless of overall body size.
- Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short.
- Humiliated or insignificant.
- (figuratively, not comparable) Young, as a child.
- (especially clothing, food or drink) That is small (the manufactured size).
- Synonym of little (“of an industry or institution(s) therein: operating on a small scale, unlike larger counterparts”).
- (writing, not comparable) Minuscule or lowercase, referring to written or printed letters.
- Evincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; paltry; mean.
- Not large or big; insignificant; few in number.
- (of a voice) faint
- limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
- (of children and animals) young, immature
- relatively moderate, limited, or small
- not large but sufficient in size or amount
- lowercase
- low or inferior in station or quality
- slight or limited; especially in degree or intensity or scope
- have fine or very small constituent particles
- made to seem smaller or less (especially in worth)
adv
noun
- (countable, especially clothing, food or drink) An item labelled or denoted as being that size.
- (countable, rare) Any part of something that is smaller or slimmer than the rest, now usually with anatomical reference to the back.
- (uncountable, especially clothing, food or drink) One of several common sizes to which an item may be manufactured, smaller than a medium.
- (countable, especially with respect to clothing) One who fits an item of that size.
- the slender part of the back
- a garment size for a small person
verb
verb
noun
- the narrow part of a bottle near the top
- a narrowing that reduces the flow through a channel
- (figurative) In traffic, any narrowing of the road, especially resulting in a delay.
- The narrow portion that forms the pouring spout of a bottle; the neck of a bottle.
- (by extension) The part of a process that is too slow or cumbersome.
- (music) A portion of a bottleneck placed on the finger and used as a guitar slide.
verb
- (intransitive) To become (much) smaller.
- To hinder from growing to the natural size; to make or keep small; to stunt.
- (transitive) To make appear (much) smaller, puny, tiny; to be much larger than.
- (transitive) To render (much) smaller, turn into a dwarf (version).
- (transitive) To make appear insignificant.
- make appear small by comparison
- check the growth of
adj
noun
- (mythology) Any member of a race of beings from (especially Scandinavian and other Germanic) folklore, usually depicted as having some sort of supernatural powers and being skilled in crafting and metalworking, often as short with long beards, and sometimes as clashing with elves.
- (astronomy) A dwarf star.
- An animal, plant or other thing much smaller than the usual of its sort.
- (now sometimes offensive) A person of short stature, often one whose limbs are disproportionately small in relation to the body as compared with typical adults, usually as the result of a genetic condition.
- a plant or animal that is atypically small
- a person who is markedly small
- a legendary creature resembling a tiny old man; lives in the depths of the earth and guards buried treasure
verb
- (transitive) To cause to become smaller.
- (intransitive, figuratively) To withdraw or retire, as from danger.
- (transitive) To draw back; to withdraw.
- (intransitive) To move back or away, especially because of fear or disgust.
- (intransitive) To become smaller; to contract.
- (intransitive) To cower or flinch.
- reduce in size; reduce physically
- wither, as with a loss of moisture
- draw back, as with fear or pain
- decrease in size, range, or extent
- become smaller or draw together
noun
verb
- narrow or limit
- to remove oxygen from a compound, or cause to react with hydrogen or form a hydride, or to undergo an increase in the number of electrons
- cook until very little liquid is left
- lessen and make more modest
- be cooked until very little liquid is left
- reduce in size; reduce physically
- lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
- reposition (a broken bone after surgery) back to its normal site
- reduce in scope while retaining essential elements
- be the essential element
- cut down on; make a reduction in
- make smaller
- lower in grade or rank or force somebody into an undignified situation
- make less complex
- simplify the form of a mathematical equation of expression by substituting one term for another
- undergo meiosis
- put down by force or intimidation
- bring to humbler or weaker state or condition
- destress and thus weaken a sound when pronouncing it
- take off weight
- (transitive) To bring to an inferior rank; to degrade, to demote.
- (intransitive) To lose weight.
- (transitive, Scots law) To annul by legal means.
- (transitive, military) To reform a line or column from (a square).
- (transitive) To be forced by circumstances (into something one considers unworthy).
- (transitive, metallurgy) To produce metal from ore by removing nonmetallic elements in a smelter.
- (transitive) To bring down the size, quantity, quality, value or intensity of something; to diminish, to lower.
- (transitive, medicine) To perform a reduction; to restore a fracture or dislocation to the correct alignment.
- (transitive, law) To convert to written form. (Usage note: this verb almost always appears as "reduce to writing".)
- (transitive) To humble; to conquer; to subdue; to capture.
- (transitive) To bring to an inferior state or condition.
- (transitive, computer science) To express the solution of a problem in terms of another (known) algorithm.
- (transitive, military) To strike off the payroll.
- (transitive, phonetics, phonology) To pronounce (a sound or word) with less effort.
- (transitive, mathematics) To simplify an equation or formula without changing its value.
- (transitive, chemistry) To add electrons / hydrogen or to remove oxygen.
- (transitive, cooking) To decrease the liquid content of (a food) by boiling much of its water off.
- (transitive, logic) To convert a syllogism to a clearer or simpler form.
verb
noun
- A wince (machine used in dyeing or steeping cloth).
- (nautical) A hoisting device used for loading or unloading cargo, or for pulling in lines.
- A machine consisting of a drum on an axle, a friction brake or ratchet and pawl, and a crank handle or prime mover (often an electric or hydraulic motor), with or without gearing, to give increased mechanical advantage when hoisting or hauling on a rope or cable.
- A kick, as of an animal, from impatience or uneasiness.
- (Nigeria, slang) A witch.
- lifting device consisting of a horizontal cylinder turned by a crank on which a cable or rope winds
verb
noun
- the property possessed by a shape that narrows toward a point (as a wedge or cone)
- a convex shape that narrows toward a point
- a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame
- stick of wax with a wick in the middle
- A slender wax candle.
- Someone who works with tape or tapes.
- (by extension) A small light.
- A thin stick used for lighting candles, either a wax-coated wick or a slow-burning wooden rod.
- The portion of an object with such a form.
- A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object.
- (weaving) One who operates a tape machine.
- A cone-shaped item for stretching the hole for an ear gauge (piercing).
- (figurative) Gradual reduction over time.
- (machining) Ellipsis of machine taper.
adj
adv
- So as to shrink, recede or move aside, or cause to do so.
- In a manner that impedes.
- To a later point in time. See also put back.
- Towards, into or in the past.
- In a direction opposite to that in which someone or something is facing or normally pointing.
- Away from someone or something; at a distance.
- (not comparable) To or in a previous condition or place.
- (not comparable) In a reciprocal manner; in return.
- (postpositive) Earlier, ago.
- In a direction opposite to the usual or desired direction of movement or progress, physically or figuratively.
- Away from the front or from an edge.
- in or to or toward a former location
- in reply
- at or to or toward the back or rear
- in repayment or retaliation
- in or to or toward a past time
- in or to or toward an original condition
adj
- (comparable, phonetics) Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the back of the mouth, near the soft palate (most often describing a vowel).
- At or near the rear.
- Not current.
- (predicative) Returned or restored to a previous place or condition.
- Situated away from the main or most frequented areas.
- Moving or operating backward.
- In arrears; overdue.
- located at or near the back of an animal
- of an earlier date
- related to or located at the back
noun
- (mining) The roof of a horizontal underground passage.
- (swimming) Clipping of backstroke.
- (slang, uncountable) Effort, usually physical.
- (sports) In some team sports, a position behind most players on the team.
- (figuratively) The upper part of a natural object which is considered to resemble an animal’s back.
- (slang, uncountable) Large and attractive buttocks.
- A support or resource in reserve.
- Area behind, such as the backyard of a house or the rear storeroom of a retail store.
- The reverse side; the side that is not normally seen.
- The side of a blade opposite the side used for cutting.
- Among leather dealers, one of the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.
- A ferryboat.
- The rear of the body, especially the part between the neck and the end of the spine and opposite the chest and belly.
- The part of something that goes last.
- The backrest, the part of a piece of furniture which receives the human back.
- (nautical) The keel and keelson of a ship.
- (figurative) The part of a piece of clothing which covers the back.
- A non-alcoholic drink (often water or a soft drink), to go with hard liquor or a cocktail.
- The side of any object which is opposite the front or useful side.
- The spine and associated tissues.
- The edge of a book which is bound.
- A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc.
- (printing) The inside margin of a page.
- That which is farthest away from the front.
- (football) a person who plays in the backfield
- the part of a garment that covers the back of your body
- (American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed behind the line of scrimmage
- the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book
- the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
- the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer
- the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
- the side that goes last or is not normally seen
- a support that you can lean against while sitting
verb
- (transitive) To push or force backwards.
- (law, of a justice of the peace) To sign or endorse (a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender).
- (transitive) To support.
- (MLE, transitive) To draw from behind the back (a knife etc.) (as also back out).
- (intransitive) To go in the reverse direction.
- (nautical, of the wind) To change direction contrary to the normal pattern; that is, to shift anticlockwise in the northern hemisphere, or clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
- (UK, of a hunting dog) To stand still behind another dog which has pointed.
- To row backward with (oars).
- (nautical, of a square sail) To brace the yards so that the wind presses on the front of the sail, to slow the ship.
- To make a back for; to furnish with a back.
- To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.
- (nautical, of an anchor) To lay out a second, smaller anchor to provide additional holding power.
- (Nigeria, transitive) To carry an infant on one’s back.
- To write upon the back of, possibly as an endorsement.
- be in back of
- travel backward
- establish as valid or genuine
- place a bet on
- give support or one's approval to
- strengthen by providing with a back or backing
- shift to a counterclockwise direction
- support financial backing for
- be behind; approve of
- cause to travel backward
adj
noun
adj
- very narrow
- not dense
- (of sound) lacking resonance or volume
- of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
- lacking spirit or sincere effort
- relatively thin in consistency or low in density; not viscous
- lacking substance or significance
- lacking excess flesh
- (aviation) Of a route: relatively little used.
- Scarce; not close, crowded, or numerous; not filling the space.
- (golf) Describing a poorly played golf shot where the ball is struck by the bottom part of the club head. See fat, shank, toe.
- Lacking body or volume; small; feeble; not full.
- Of low viscosity or low specific gravity.
- Very narrow in all diameters; having a cross section that is small in all directions.
- Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
- Poor; scanty; without money or success.
- Having little body fat or flesh; slim; slender; lean; gaunt.
- Slight; small; slender; flimsy; superficial; inadequate; not sufficient for a covering.
adv
verb
- make thin or thinner
- lessen the strength or flavor of a solution or mixture
- lose thickness; become thin or thinner
- take off weight
- To remove some plants or parts of plants in order to improve the growth of what remains.
- To dilute.
- (intransitive) To become thin or thinner.
- (transitive) To make thin or thinner.