# decline

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɪˈklaɪn/ · frequency rank #3,617

## Definitions
1. Downward movement, fall.
2. A sloping downward, e.g. of a hill or road.
3. A deterioration of condition; a weakening or worsening.
4. A reduction or diminution of activity, prevalence or quantity.
5. The act of declining or refusing something.

## Etymology
From Middle English declinen, and ultimately Latin declīnō (“to bend, turn aside, deflect, inflect, decline”, from dē- (“down”) + clīnō (“to bend, to incline”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley- (English lean). The senses arrived from two separate pathways in Middle English:
* The grammatical sense came from Old English declīnian, which was borrowed directly from the Latin etymon.
* All senses except the grammatical sense were derived from those of Old French decliner. Old French itself borrowed the verb from Latin.

## Easily confused with
- **define** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decline-vs-define)
- **Devlin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decline-vs-devlin)
- **Devine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decline-vs-devine)
- **declined** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decline-vs-declined)
- **decide** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decide-vs-decline)
- **Declan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/declan-vs-decline)
- **dealing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dealing-vs-decline)
- **declare** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/declare-vs-decline)
- **deceive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deceive-vs-decline)
- **decking** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/decking-vs-decline)
- **deadline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deadline-vs-decline)

## Common misspellings (10)
`dceline`, `ddecline`, `deccline`, `decilne`, `declien`, `declinne`, `declline`, `declnie`, `delcine`, `edcline`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/decline