Meaning & use
decrement
Last updated
A decrease in quantity or value, or the amount by which something decreases.
See it in a sentence
The engineer set the counter to reduce by a decrement of one with each cycle.
Analysts tracked the gradual decrement in sales over the quarter.
A note on using this word
Especially common in computer programming, where "decrement" describes reducing a variable's value by a fixed amount, often one.
Words with a similar meaning
decreasereduction
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
incrementincrease
Another way to use it
2. verb
To decrease a value by a specified amount, especially by one.
The loop decrements the counter until it reaches zero.
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